Second Chances
by SM2Teach
Summary: Draco Malfoy dissappeared from the wizarding world at the end of the war. Five years later Hermione Granger runs into him working at a Muggle cafe'. Thanks to my beta Megganisms.
1. Chapter 1: Muggle Medcine

Chapter 1

Muggle Medicine

Hermione Granger sat in a café in Muggle London that she had come across after her meeting with an old Muggle shop owner. The head of her department had sent her out on a lead for the Thomas Case. Hermione worked for the Ministry of Magic, along side St. Mungo's Healers, researching cures for dark jinxes and curses used by the Death Eaters during the height of the war.

Despite the fact that in the last five years most of wizarding society had become comfortable in a Voldemort-free world, an entire wing of St. Mungo's remained full of victims for whom cures could not be found. The magic used by the Death Eaters was so dark that many of them did not fully understand the consequences of the spells they cast on any nonsupporter of the Dark Lord. Even intense interrogation of the remaining Death Eaters kept in Azkaban could not uncover what the Healers needed to cure those kept in the Frank and Alice Longbottom Ward. (So named by the war hero Neville Longbottom after he raised an immense amount of funds for victims of the war.) This left the researchers of the Cures for Incurable Curses Department going on wild goose chases hoping to come across any lost information that might lead to a new discovery. They had already tried every kind of healing magic imaginable and had even attempted those things heard in old Muggle wives tales.

Hermione was now seated at a table looking through the old book she had procured from the Muggle book store owner. He had said that the book had been donated to the bookstore about five years ago after the death of the owner. Apparently the family had just wanted to clear out his things and get on with life. At first glance this book was seemingly unremarkable. It appeared to be an old medical text. The information was out of date even by Muggle standards, one page suggesting to "bundle a person under the effects of a fever so that he might not become chilled."

She was interrupted from the perusal of the book by a waiter who asked if she would like anything. Without looking up she replied that a cup of coffee, two sugars no cream, would be fine. As the waiter walked away she paused in the reading of a paragraph of how to cure hives when a familiar scent touched her nose. It was the scent of peppermint and lemon. The picture of a blond boy with storm gray eyes flashed in her mind. She thought this peculiar as she had not even thought of the boy in years. The last she had seen of Draco Malfoy had been at his father's trial.

Draco and his mother had been found not guilty and released thanks to the testimony of Harry Potter. Harry had testified to the events of the Astronomy Tower at the end of sixth year and Draco's inability to kill Dumbledore. He had also testified to the false report that Narcissa had given Voldemort on the condition of Harry after the Avada Kedavra cast at him, giving Harry the chance to get into position to ultimately end the life of the Dark Lord. Despite the fact that Lucius did nothing to help Voldemort in the final stages of the battle, he also did nothing to justify his release from Azkaban. In fact the mistakes he had made between the time Voldemort had returned and The Battle of Hogwarts had earned him a verdict of guilty. He was scheduled for execution by the veil the next week. After the death of Lucius, it was rumored that Narcissa had moved to a cottage in Southern Italy, and Draco had seemed to just vanish. No one had seen or heard from him since.

The waiter returned with her coffee. She took a second to sip her coffee and then turned her attention back to the book in front of her. It was her devotion to the Thomas Case that made her accept this task in the first place. She was supposed to start her holiday that morning, but couldn't pass up the chance that maybe this time she would find the clue that could help. Dean Thomas was hit with a curse that erased his memory every time he would fall asleep. He would wake up each morning not knowing who he was or where he was. Some days were better than others and he would wake up calm and allow the Healers to explain to him his condition. Other days he would wake up hysterical as if he had awoken from a nightmare, although he could never remember what the nightmare was about. After arriving to visit during one of these episodes, Hermione found it harder to visit her old friend. She told herself that he didn't know her anyway and then redoubled her efforts in finding a cure.

After an hour of searching through the book she decided that she would not learn anything until she could get back to the office. She signaled for the waiter to bring her the check. He came over and asked her if her coffee had been alright. She assured him it had and reached in her bag for some change. As he reached across her to retrieve the empty coffee cup, she caught the scent of peppermint and lemon again. She looked up and caught his eyes for just a moment. She thought she saw a shadow cross his dark brown eyes, but it was gone.

A man called from across the shop, "Hey Max, are you coming or what? "

"Yeah, just let me put this in the back." The waiter glanced back at Hermione. "Have a nice day."

She watched him leave noticing that while he seemed handsome enough, he also seemed to be someone you would not remember or even notice. His skin was tan as if he spent time outdoors, and his hair was a dark brown cut in a short style. She put the book in her bag and draped her sweater over her shoulder and went out in search of a dark alley in which she could apparate back to the office.

Draco Malfoy glanced at the clock. One hour until his shift ended. He had promised his friend Jack that he would go to the pub after work to catch the football game. He had become quite enamored with football since his sabbatical into the Muggle world. He refilled the coffee cups of the university students sitting by the window. He wondered what it must be like to be a normal kid, raised in a normal family whose only expectations for them were to actually finish school and get a decent job. He thought what his own father might have said if he knew Draco was waiting on Muggles in a coffee shop. He wiped down a table, refilling the sugar canisters and pushing in the chairs.

The bell above the door rang announcing the entrance of another customer. He glanced up and his breath caught in his throat. None other than Hermione Granger entered. Remembering that there was no way that she could recognize him, his heart rate slowed and he took in her appearance. She was dressed in Muggle jeans and a long sleeve shirt. Her face was flushed as if she had been walking a ways.

Hermione walked over to an empty table and sat down as she took off her sweater. After taking a deep breath she took an old book out of her bag, opened it and began to read. The familiar scene plunged Draco into old memories of the Hermione at school. Then he had been an arrogant git and would have probably walked up to her making some comment about her heritage and how she was such a know-it-all. Now he just watched her for a moment and thought that she was really quite pretty with her face set with concentration. He was not sure how he had never noticed when he had once only cared about impressing pretty young girls, intent on getting in their knickers. Maybe it was because he knew he never had a chance with the girl who was one of Harry Potter's best friends, and the fact that she was a Muggle-born. He shook himself from his reverie and drew up his courage to go take her order.

Trying his best to speak in a normal voice he asked her if she would like anything. She ordered a cup of coffee, with two sugars no cream, without even glancing up from her book. It looked like an old science text and he couldn't imagine what might be so fascinating about it. He went for her coffee and then busied himself around the shop.

He stayed where he could see her and watched her as she sat and read. He longed for word on how the wizarding world was faring but did not dare approach her with his real identity. He was as happy as could be with his current situation and had even become quite comfortable in the Muggle world. It had been five years since he had picked up his wand. It stayed locked safely away in a magical chest. In fact he would not be able to open it without the help of a witch or wizard. The lack of them in his life now kept him from giving in to his temptation of taking up his wand again.

Hermione stayed for nearly an hour reading and sipping her coffee. It was nearing the end of his shift, and he was trying to think up an excuse to go talk to her. Just as he was about to go ask her if she would like a refill she signaled for her check. She was pulling the change out of her bag when he reached across the table for her empty cup. She glanced up at him. Their eyes met and Draco was sure that she had recognized him, but then the moment passed. Jack had yelled from across the room breaking the temporary silence. Draco felt a strange sense of a lost opportunity, but sent a reply back to Jack and turned to take the empty cup to the back. When he came back out she was gone.


	2. Chapter 2: Dinner Invitation

**Chapter 2**

**Dinner Invitation**

Hermione awoke suddenly covered in sweat. She had been having the same dream every night since the end of the war. She had been falling into darkness. Just falling, nothing beneath her or above her. This time it seemed different though. She closed her eyes and tried to remember the dream. There was a hand reaching out. That had never happened before. She had always been alone in her dream. Never had there been anything else. Just darkness. She wandered for a moment why it had changed. Then she willed herself to get up and get ready for the day.

It was Saturday and she didn't have any plans. She had brought the medical text home hoping to work on it some more. She had been working on it for two weeks with no success, so she stopped at the library for a couple of books on code breaking. She had stayed up late the night before copying down spells she wanted to try.

Hermione sat at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee and the Daily Profit. News had slowed down considerably since the war ended and the day's cover story was about an old witch who had accidentally given her granddaughter bunny ears and a white fluffy tail. She wasn't sure why she still subscribed to the Profit.

A knock on the window interrupted her perusal of a Madam Malkin's advertisement. Hermione walked over to see a barn owl from the apartment owlery waiting patiently for her to let it in. She opened the window and took a roll of parchment, handing the owl a piece of crust from the toast she had eaten for breakfast. It was a letter from her parents asking her to come for a visit. She though longingly of the books waiting for her in her study, but then scribbled a reply that she would be by around 10:00. The books would have to wait. She had not seen her parents in over a month and she could not make an excuse again to not go.

After a shower, she threw on some clothes and a pair of trainers. She charmed her hair dry and pulled it back in a pony tail. She grabbed her bag, throwing both the medical book and the books from the library in it, and then apparated to an alley near her parents' house.

She walked to the house she had lived in as a child and the first thing her mother did when she saw her was ask her if she had been eating well.

"You look like you have lost weight since I saw you last. Have you been ill? Would you like some tea? A sandwich? I think I have some leftover stew in the refrigerator. I could call your father and have him pick up some take out on his way home from the office. He had to go in for an emergency root canal."

"Mom, I'm fine. Some tea would be great, and no I have not been ill."

Hermione and her mom sat at the kitchen table and talked about everything from Hermione's Aunt Betty and her ungrateful daughter, to her mother and father's dental practice. Whenever her mother would ask about her work, Hermione would just say that things were fine and then change the subject. Her mother also asked her about any potential boyfriends.

"Mom, I am much too busy at work right now to worry about entertaining a boyfriend."

"But honey you are getting older and your father and I do want grandchildren."

"Mom, I am only 23 years old. I have plenty of time to find a husband. I just don't have room in my life right now to worry about someone else."

Hermione gave her mother a look that said the discussion was over and asked if the plans for her parents' holiday to Australia were finalized. This seemed to distract her mother, and they talked for a half hour about what her parents were going to do while in Sydney. Her parents had fallen in love with Australia when they lived there during the war. At 11:45 Hermione was finally telling her mother goodbye.

"Give Dad a hug for me. Tell him that I am sorry I didn't get to see him and I promise to visit sooner next time."

"Ok, honey, and please make sure you get plenty to eat."

Finally back on the street, Hermione thought about going to the office, but her boss had threatened that if she did not take the weekend off she was going to demote her to answering interoffice memos. She had skipped the holiday she was supposed to take a couple of weeks ago when she came across the medical text. She did not really want to go back to her flat as she worked better surrounded by noise. It must have been the years of studying in the Gryffindor Common Room.

The rumble of her stomach alerted Hermione of her hunger, and she found herself walking toward the coffee shop she had stopped at the last time she had visited Muggle London. Hermione entered the shop and headed to the same table in the corner that she had sat at during her last visit. She pulled the books out of her bag and whispered a concealing charm on the spell books making them appear to be various forms of medical texts. She was sure she looked like a medical student from the university.

The bell above the door chimed and Draco glanced to see who had entered. His heart seemed to stop and then speed up when he realized who had walked in. It was Hermione Granger. He had thought about her nonstop since she had come in the café two weeks ago. He drew up his courage and walked over to take her order. She had the same medical text that she had the first time she was in the shop, but she also had several others that seemed to be more up to date.

"Interested in medicine?" he said startling Hermione. She quickly glanced up at him and then forced a polite smile.

"Um, yeah. I am thinking of becoming a doctor." She had at one time considered becoming a Healer. It crossed her mind for about five seconds in fifth year, but the thought of having to deal with disfigured limbs due to poor wand use all the time made her quickly change her mind. It was a wonder that she worked so closely with Healers in her current job.

Draco raised his eyebrows in disbelief, but then asked what she would like to order. She ordered half a sandwich, a small garden salad and a cup of coffee.

"Two sugars, and no cream, right?" Draco replied. She nodded, a little surprised that he remembered. He must have had tons of customers, and she had only been in there one other time.

Draco brought her coffee and gave the order to the cook. Hermione turned back to her books. She had taken out a pen and paper and was copying things from the books. He walked over to give her her lunch and she quickly moved to hide the paper but not before he got a glance of what she had written. It appeared to be exerts from the older medical text, and also words that looked like parts of spells. He asked if there was anything else she needed and left her with her lunch.

Draco walked around the shop refilling coffee cups and then stepped behind the counter. He leaned against it and unconsciously watched Hermione as she ate and read. He didn't hear Jack come up behind him and was startled when he heard his voice.

"Just go ask her out, man."

"What? Oh, no I can't."

"Why? She's hot. Just go over there and ask her."

"I can't. I mean why would she want to go out with me?"

"Man, are you daft? Everywhere we go the girls flock to you. Having you as a friend has seriously hurt my dating life. I don't know what they see in you. I mean I am so much more better looking than you."

"You wish. Of course there is always the bartender at the sports bar. She has it bad for you."

"Yeah, too bad she could beat me in an arm wrestling contest. Come on, ask her out. You haven't taken your eyes off her since she walked through that door."

"She reminds me of someone I knew at school."

Draco did not know what had gotten into him, but before he could stop himself, he was standing in front of her with "Wouldyouliketogooutforcoffeewithme?" coming out of his mouth. He grimaced. He sounded like a third year back at Hogwarts. Since when did he have trouble asking a girl out? And what was he doing asking _her_ out in the first place?

"Excuse me," she said looking at him with concern at his sudden curious behavior.

"Uh, would you like to go out for coffee with me?"

"Well, we are in a coffee shop," Hermione said gesturing to the cup in front of her.

"Oh …yeah. How about some ice cream then?" He completely expected her to say no and mentally prepared himself for rejection. He had not actually asked a girl out since he was at Hogwarts.

"Sure."

"That's ok. Um, I'll just … what? Oh, ok … uh, I get off at 5:00. We could get some dinner first if you want, but I understand if you don't want to. Where do you live? I could pick you up or we could meet somewhere or …"

"Why don't I just meet you here at 5:00? And dinner would be great. I better be going, but I will see you this evening."

"Great. I'll see you then," and he watched her walk out of the shop.

Draco suddenly felt ill. What had he been thinking, asking Hermione Granger out? What if she found out who he really was? He had worked so hard to make a new life for himself. He couldn't go back to the wizarding world. He couldn't face what waited for him there.


	3. Chapter 3: First Date

**Chapter 3**

**First Date**

Hermione arrived back at her apartment cursing herself for accepting the offer of dinner and ice cream from the coffee shop waiter. Hadn't she just told her mother that morning that there was no room for dating in her life? In fact, she usually turned down any dating proposals she received. There was a wizard in the Accidental Magic Reversal Department that had asked her out on numerous occasions only to be turned down.

But there was something that made her say yes to the Muggle waiter. Maybe it was because he was a Muggle, who didn't know who she was (the best friend of Harry Potter and ex-girlfriend of Ronald Weasley). The truth was that she and Harry were now more acquaintances, and she was not even on speaking terms with Ron. Her breakup with Ron was not a pleasant experience. She found him in bed with his ex-girlfriend, Lavender Brown, when she came home early from a business trip in Romania.

Despite Harry's effort to remain neutral during the whole fiasco, his engagement to Ron's sister, Ginny, naturally pulled him to Ron's side. So now communication between Harry and Hermione was restricted to an owl on each other's birthday. In fact, Hermione didn't really have any friends. The women at the office just sat around and gossiped while all the men had a wager on who could get into her knickers first. So she threw herself into her work, spending what little spare time she had working on the Thomas Case. In an effort to lessen the work load on Hermione, her boss assigned her head of the Thomas Case in hopes that she wouldn't have to take the work home with her. Of course it was all in vain.

Hermione glanced at the clock on the wall and noticed she had under an hour to get ready and meet the Muggle waiter back at the coffee shop. She realized she didn't know his name. Thinking back she remembered one of the other employees call him Mark, or was it Matt? She would have to remember to ask him as soon as she saw him again.

After finally settling on a pair of jeans and a red sweater, she tried her best to tame her hair and then put on a little lip gloss. She stood back and looked at herself in the mirror. She decided that she looked good enough and hoped they wouldn't be going anywhere fancy. She grabbed her bag with the books in it and charmed it to not be so heavy. With a pop she apparated to the alley down from the café.

She entered the coffee shop at 2 minutes till 5:00. Punctuality was a strength of hers, often causing arguments when she was with Ron. Ron was late to everything. Many times she would be dressed ready to go, and Ron would still need to shower and find clean clothes before he was ready. There were many things that made her incompatible with Ron. She should have known long before catching him and Lavender that things were not heading in the right direction. If only she would have realized sooner, maybe things would have turned out different, and she would still have her best friends.

She sat at her usual table and Mark, or was it Matt, walked over.

"Hey, Hermione! I just have to change into some clean clothes. Would you like a cup of coffee while you wait?'

"No thank you. I have had enough coffee today to keep me up for a week. But how did you know my name? I don't remember us sharing our names."

Draco's insides did a flip and panic spread throughout his body. Their date had not even begun yet and he had already screwed up. He glanced down and noticed her name embroidered on her bag. Relief flooded through him.

"Oh, uh … it's on your bag." She smiled and nodded. "I'm Max. Max Black. Nice to meet you." He extended his hand for a greeting.

"Hermione Granger," she said while returning his handshake. She thought that Max didn't quite fit him. He seemed more sophisticated, and come to think of it, he seemed like he could be so much more than a waiter if he wanted to be.

"I'll just be a minute."

Hermione pulled out her books intent on using any spare time she had to figure out clues. She had read five pages when Max returned from changing. He had on blue jeans with a tight fitting black tee shirt. He had spiked his hair out, and it sort of reminded her of Harry, the way it stuck out everywhere. She also caught that familiar scent of peppermint and lemon. He motioned for the door and they left the shop.

"I thought we would go to this little Italian eatery a couple blocks down. It is nothing fancy, but their lasagna is the best in London."

"That sounds great. I have had a craving for good Italian food."

Hermione and Draco walked along finding conversation quite easy considering they both had secrets they were not willing to share. Draco asked Hermione about medical school, and she thought it would be easier if she told him some form of the truth. She told him she worked in medical research, searching for cures for rare diseases.

Draco told Hermione how he had moved into the city after his father had passed away and had been working at the café since.

"I met Jack on my first day here. I was lost and stopped into the café for directions. His uncle owns the café. He just works there to keep his uncle in his mother's good graces. They had just had a waiter quit so he offered me a job. It also turned out that his roommate had run off to marry the girl across the hall, so he had a room available for rent. I had just enough money for the first month's rent and a small duffle bag full of clothes. He gave me a chance and we have been best friends since."

Hermione felt jealous of his friendship with Jack and then suddenly very lonely. Before the feeling could ruin her mood they arrived at the eatery. It was not a fancy restaurant but one of those types of places that locals like to keep secret. The outside had peeling paint and a homemade sign that said "Joe's Place." Draco led Hermione through the door. She looked around and noticed that the tables and chairs looked worn and the wooden floors looked as if they had not been polished in quite some time.

"Max! It's about time you came to see me. And you have brought a young woman with you. You must be something special. Max has never come in with a girl before. Though it's not as if he hasn't had offers. We always have an increase of female customers when he comes in. I think they follow him here."

Hermione noticed Draco's cheeks get a little pink at the comment, but he smiled back at the short balding man.

"Hey, Joe. This is Hermione."

"Nice to meet you, Hermione. Would you like your regular table in the back?"

"Thanks," Draco said with a nod.

They arrived at the table and Draco pulled out Hermione's chair for her. She was not used to this kind of treatment. Ron and Harry always treated her like one of the boys, and even when she and Ron were together he showed no understanding of manners. She noticed that Draco took the seat against the wall and looked around the restaurant as if scoping it out. She noticed this because this was a habit of hers acquired during the war. In fact, she felt quite uncomfortable now with her back to the room. She wondered what in Max's life had made him like this.

"You come here often?" she asked trying to resume the easy conversation from earlier. She took the menu and began to look it over.

"It is the best Italian food I have ever had outside of Italy. It reminds me of the holidays I use to take with my parents when I was young. We would visit Italy every summer."

"You said your father passed away? He must have been a great man to take his family on holiday every summer. My parents were busy with their dentistry practice. They tried to make it up to me, but I ended up spending most of my summers with my two best friends from school. Where is your mother now? Do you see her much?"

"Excuse me. Are you ready to order?"

"Yes, thank you," Draco said with relief. He did not want to discuss his parents. "I'll have the usual."

"Lasagna it is," the young waitress said with a smile.

Hermione thought that the waitress was flirting and thought that Max must get a lot of attention from women. Of course what girl would not be interested in a man as kind and polite as Max? Being absolutely gorgeous didn't hurt either.

"I'll have the same," she replied with a smile.

The waitress took their menus and disappeared into the kitchen.

Eager not to resume the conversation about his parents, he asked her about her friends whom she spent the summers with. However, he knew very well who these friends were and wished he would have asked about something else. The truth was he was jealous of the friendships she shared with Harry Potter and Ron Weasley. He really had no desire to be reminded of how wonderful the threesome was in school while he himself never had true friends, but only convenient acquaintances. In fact, Jack was the first real friend he ever had.

To Draco's surprise Hermione replied with, "Oh, they were just some friends from school. I haven't really talked to them in quite sometime. So what do you do when you are not working?"

Draco wondered what could have happened to the trio. He saw the sadness in her eyes when he asked about her friends. He hated to see her sad.

They ate the rest of their dinner, and time seemed to pass very quickly. At 10:00 they noticed they were the last in the restaurant. They walked outside and both felt awkward for the first time that night. Hermione hated this part. She never knew what to do at the end of first dates.

"I could walk you home if you like," Draco replied.

"Oh, no. I live quite a ways away. I'll just catch a cab."

"Ok, um . . . I had a good time. Could I see you again?" Draco said, inwardly cursing himself. _What am I doing? I should just say goodbye and go back to living my quiet Muggle life with no ties at all to the wizarding world._

"I had a good time too. I have to come into London at the end of next week. I could stop by the café."

"Ok, I'll see you then."

And then Hermione did something that surprised Draco. She leaned up and kissed him on the cheek. She pulled back with a blush high on her cheeks.

"Goodbye then," and she turned and walked down the sidewalk. He watched her as she ducked into an alley and knew that she had apparated home.

Despite his uneasiness about being discovered, he couldn't wait to see her again.


	4. Chapter 4: Night on the Town

**Chapter 4**

**Night on the Town**

_Draco looked at the man in front of him who looked older than he had ever seen him. From far away he heard the words "Avada Kedavra" and saw a flash of green light. Before the light hit the old man in the chest, Draco saw him change into _her._ She fell backwards off the balcony. Draco ran to th_e _edge and looked down expecting to see the grass below, but instead he just saw _her _falling into darkness. He could see the terror in her eyes and he reached out to her._

The alarm rang out awakening him from the familiar nightmare, except that this time it wasn't familiar. He had had the same dream about the night on the Astronomy Tower since that fateful night, but this had been the first time that Dumbledore had turned into Hermione. He wondered what that meant.

Draco rolled out of bed and went to take a shower. He let the scalding hot water fall over his stiff shoulders. The aches and pains never went away. But in some sick way he didn't want them to. They reminded him of the way he was and that he never wanted to go back to that. He ran his fingers over the scars that ran across his chest. When he applied the permanent glamour charm, he left the scars to help him remember why he chose the life he had now. When asked, he told people he got them from a motorcycle accident.

Draco dressed in his black slacks and white shirt that he wore to work each day. Today was Saturday and his last hope that Hermione would come back to the café'. A part of him was afraid that she had decided she could do better than a Muggle waiter. She had said she was coming to London at the end of the week but didn't say exactly when. He had been looking for her to come in since Thursday.

He walked into the kitchen and poured himself a glass of orange juice, then sat down at the table to read the sports section of the newspaper.

Jack walked into the kitchen. He'd obviously just rolled out of bed as his hair stuck up in an odd angle at the back. "Max, some of the guys want to go to the club after work for some drinks and some dancing. Why don't you come?"

"Um, I really can't. I have to go buy some new socks?"

"New socks? Oh, come on. You haven't been out with us all week. Does it have to do with that girl? Bring her. Derek is bringing his girlfriend. That way she will have someone to talk to."

"I don't know. Maybe."

Draco had hoped that if Hermione did come today that he could spend some time alone with her. He wanted to know more about her life now. But it could be fun to go out dancing.

Hermione had to go into London to pick up some reports from a Muggle neurologist. This doctor specialized in memory loss. Her boss insisted on exploring every avenue when it came to discovering a new cure. She had told Max that she would stop by the café. It had been a week and it seemed she had spent every waking moment thinking about him. She felt like there was something missing from him. That there was more to him than what appeared on the surface; something very special.

It took her an hour to finally settle on an outfit. She changed seven times before deciding on a denim skirt that came about mid thigh and a pink sweater that was cut lower than she was used to. She wore black boots that came up to her knee. She looked in the mirror and hoped she didn't look too…_easy._ She thought that maybe she looked more her age. She often dressed in clothes that made her look older than her 23 years.

She met with the Muggle doctor and then set off for the café. The evening was cool and she thought that she should have brought a jacket as it would only get colder as the night went on. She wondered what Max would plan for them to do and hoped it would be something indoors.

Hermione entered the shop and looked around for Max. When she caught his eye he gave her a smile. She headed over to her usual table by the wall doing her quick scan of the café. Determining that no one looked threatening she turned her attention back to Max. He was heading over to her with the grin still on his face.

"I thought you might not come. I thought maybe you had met someone more handsome, or more sophisticated than a coffee shop waiter."

"Most men, especially those with too much money, are arrogant gits and think more of themselves than is really necessary. I like that you are kind and humble."

Draco blushed at this, thinking that she would definitely not call him kind and humble if she knew who he really was. She would be calling _him_ an arrogant git.

"I get off in an hour, and um … well …" Why did he always turn into a bumbling idiot when he tried to talk to her. The smooth talking Slytherin unable to ask a girl out. Well, maybe because he wasn't that same confident wizard who attended Hogwarts all those years ago, but just a waiter. "Some of the guys want to go out for drinks and dancing after work and well, would you like to go with us? There will be other girls there too." He quickly added.

_Dancing? _"Oh, well I don't know. I haven't danced since I was in school. I don't think I am very good at dancing . . ." She was panicking. It had been a long time since she had gone out with a crowd and she had not danced since the Yule Ball in 4th year unless you counted that time Ron and Harry had dragged her to a club. She danced with Harry who stepped on her feet. And Ron couldn't hold a beat if it hit him over the head. She was sure to make a fool of herself.

"Oh, you're a great dancer, I mean, I'm sure you are very good at dancing as you seem to be good at everything else," he added lamely. _Damn._ He almost messed up. But she _was_ a great dancer. He remembered that even _he_ couldn't keep his eyes off her that night. She was beautiful. Before that night he had never looked at her other than a bushy-hair-buck-toothed Mudblood. And she could dance. She moved with such grace that he found himself envying Krum. If he was lucky he would get a chance to dance with her tonight.

Against her better judgment Hermione agreed to go out with him. It would do her good to get away from her work for a few hours. Maybe she could forget about the friends she missed terribly, and Dean who didn't even remember her.

"Ok, I guess that sounds like it could be fun. Work has been keeping me busy lately and I could use a break."

To ease her guilt about taking the night off from work she decided to spend the hour working on the medical book. With a relieved smile Draco turned to finish his work for the night as quickly as he could. He saw Hermione take the medical text out of her bag and wondered what was so important about it.

Hermione quickly became engrossed in her work and before she knew it, Max was standing near her clearing his throat to get her attention. She looked up and noticed he had changed into a pair of dark jeans and a tight fitted brown t-shirt. He looked amazing. His toned chest reminded her of the Quidditch players of her world. She gave him a smile and quickly put away her books. A Friday night out really would be a nice change to her usually mundane routine.

After about a 15 minute walk they arrived at a night club with a line stretching around the building.

"Are you sure we will be able to get in?" Hermione asked him with an unsure look.

"Just follow me," he said with a mischievous grin.

Draco led them to the front of the line and shook hands with the bouncer at the entrance.

"Hey Tank! Busy night, huh. Room for two more in there?"

"Always room for you Max. Who's your friend?"

"This is Hermione. Have the other guys got here yet?"

Hermione smiled at _Tank_.

"Nice to meet you, Hermione. You keep an eye on Max here. I imagine the ladies won't be too pleased to see him here with a woman. In fact, I think this is the first time he has brought someone along. You must be special." Tank said with a wink. "The rest of the crew got here about 20 minutes ago. You two go on in."

Draco and Hermione went through the door much to the displeasure of the outside crowd. Hermione looked at him with a look of awe at how he seemed to know everyone. Hermione was used to being recognized but it was because she was part of the Trio that defeated the Dark Lord. She wondered what it would be like to be recognized just because people liked you. Max was a person like that. He was someone that people liked because he was nice and polite, and had a way of talking to you like you were important.

The music was pulsing and the lights flashing colors all around them. The club smelled of sweat and smoke and excitement. Hermione felt a little nervous as she was never one to do the club scene. The one time she had gone to the club with Harry and Ron, Ron flirted with half the women there, and she begged out early with a head-ache.

Draco led her to a table in the back that had several men and a few women sitting around it. He clapped hands with a couple of the guys and then turned to introduce her to everyone.

"This is Hermione. Hermione, this is Todd, Cole, you know Jack," Jack winked at her and she blushed back with a nod," and Derek, Derek's girlfriend Diane, Julie, Robert, and Kim."

"Hello," Hermione said to the group. They all said hello back, and she felt herself relax a little bit.

"How did Max here score a girl like you," Robert leaned over and asked her. She blushed in reply.

"Come on Rob, leave her alone. I don't see you here with anyone." Draco said good heartedly.

A waitress walked up and took their drink orders. Hermione had to catch herself as she almost ordered a firewhiskey. She ordered a plain whiskey instead.

"A girl after my own heart," Robert said when she gave her order. "I can't stand all those fruity drinks. I want a woman who can handle her liquor." To which he received a punch from Julie from around a pink colored drink.

"You ok 'Mione," Max leaned over and whispered.

She usually got annoyed when people shortened her name, and often contributed it to laziness. Ron always tried to call her _Herms_ and it bugged her to no end. But something about the familiar way Max said 'Mione made her heart skip in a way that wasn't unpleasant.

"I'm fine. Don't worry about me. I faced much worse in my common room at the school I attended."

Draco wondered just how wild Gryffindors got. He could see Gryffindors losing control now and then. They were usually willing to try anything, what with the courage thing, and often did so without thinking. Slytherins were too refined to get too out of hand, and the fact that they usually thought everything out (except maybe Crabbe and Goyle) weighing both pros and cons usually led them to not taking many risks. It wasn't until Draco entered the Muggle world did he 'let his hair down.'

After Hermione finished her second drink, Draco was able to drag her out onto the dance floor. She took him by surprise when she grabbed hold of him and pulled him close as she grinded her hips to the music. Quickly recovering from the shock he settled into the beat and began to move with her. He had danced with a lot of women often being too polite to turn them down, but he never had the chemistry he had with Hermione. They seemed to move as one as the music surrounded them and the world around them faded. They didn't notice the jealous looks of the women that crooned over Draco, or the knowing looks of his friends that always knew that when he decided to fall for a girl, he would fall hard. All they knew right then was each other and the music that seemed to have them under a spell.

Hermione had finished two drinks when Max talked her into a dance. Her need to let go of everything made her get up with little resistance. By the time they got out to the dance floor the alcohol and music took hold of her senses and she wanted nothing more than to get lost in the music and in Max. She did something that she knew she would be mortified about later. She grabbed hold of Max and pulled him close. She drank in his scent of peppermint and lemon that always reminded her of white silk and storm clouds, and a passion that passed between her and a former enemy. She let this passion seep into her as she held on to Max as if she would slip away into the darkness if she let go.

She never had much of chemistry with Ron. They had started as friends and it just made sense that they end up together. You would think that as heated as their fights were, that some of the passion would carry into the bedroom. Unfortunately that wasn't the case. She never understood what was supposed to be so great about sex. She expected fireworks the first time, but was disappointed. She waited for it to get better, but it never did.

It was different here with Max. They were only dancing, but she was more turned on than she had ever been with Ron. A warmth moved throughout her body, starting at her center and moving out. She couldn't get close enough to him. She wanted to climb inside of him and hide from the world. They moved together to the beat. Their rhythms perfectly synced.

The song ended, and the spell was broken. After an awkward moment of not knowing how to react after such an intimate encounter, they returned to the table and ordered another drink. Draco excused himself to the bathroom. Being pressed up against Hermione had done things to his body that left him feeling very uncomfortable.

Draco stood in front of the sink and splashed cold water on his face until he was able to slow his heartbeat. He looked at himself in the mirror and wondered if Hermione would have held him like that if she knew who he really was. She would have probably hexed his bits off. The idea of getting his bits hexed off had the desired effect of undoing the damage the dance had on him. Confident that he could now return to the table without embarrassing himself, he went back to his friends and the girl he was finding himself falling for.

"'There is no need to call me '_sir' _Professor_.' _ I had never seen the overgrown bat so mad. Harry was given detention, but he said it was so worth it." All those around the table burst into laughter. _And he was afraid that Hermione wouldn't feel comfortable around his friends._

The mention of Draco's godfather sent a twinge of hurt through him. Snape had been killed by Voldemort when he was no longer useful. Snape gave his life to serve Dumbledore and the Order. He now knew that Snape had always wanted better for him. If only he would have listened to him in sixth year. Not wanting to ruin this most amazing night he forced his attention back to his friends and the girl beside him.

He noticed the empty glasses beside her and the almost empty one in her hand. He never thought Hermione to be one to drink. He must have been right because at that moment she slumped over onto the table and started snoring.

Draco walked into his apartment. His arms ached from carrying Hermione for five blocks and up three flights of stairs. He took a second to decide where to put her down. He decided that he would put her on his bed and he would take the couch. He took too long to decide though because at that moment she threw up all over the both of them. It was at times like these that he wished he still had his wand. He had to push down the temptation to dig her wand out of her bag and _Scourgify_ them both. But a wand was a personal thing and a wizard did not use another wizard's wand without permission.

So he took her to his room and sat her on the edge of the bed balancing her the best he could. He managed to remove her boots and then realized he would also have to remove the rest of her clothes. He laid her down on her back and went to his closet and pulled out one of his t-shirts. Trying to figure the best way to do this without compromising her modesty, he squeezed his eyes shut as much as he could where only a little light could come through and he could only see a blurry form of her silhouette. As quickly as he could, he pulled off her shirt and then pulled the clean one over her head. It was long enough to come to the middle of her thighs. He slid her skirt down from under the shirt. He walked around to the other side of the bed so that he could move her up and under the covers, but because his eyes were still squeezed almost shut he tripped over her boots that he had tossed aside.

"Damn," Draco cursed as he hit his shin on the foot board. He was sure he was loud enough to wake the neighbors. However Hermione just continued to snore on. A bomb could have exploded in the next room and she would have probably slept right through it. He moved her up onto the pillow and pulled the blanket up to her chin. He gathered her clothes and deposited them into the laundry basket. He would go down to the laundry room as soon as it opened the next morning and wash her clothes for her. Grabbing a clean pair of clothes for himself, he walked over to Hermione to check on her one last time before he went to take his shower. He brushed a lock of hair out of her face. She turned over in her sleep.

With one last look at her, he turned and left the room closing the door quietly behind him.


	5. Chapter 5: The Morning After

Chapter 5

The Morning After

After a quick shower, Draco decided to have a cup of peppermint lemon tea before going to bed. He yearned for some Dreamless Sleep Potion. He dreaded going to sleep every night. While during the day he was able to forget about his previous life, at least until the day Hermione walked into the café, the nights always brought him back, the most common nightmare being the one about the night on the Astronomy Tower. Recently the dreams had become worse with Hermione taking the place of Professor Dumbledore.

Taking his tea into the living room he turned to sit on the couch, thankful that Jack had gone home with some blonde he had picked up at the club. Before he was able to sit down he noticed Hermione's bag that had fallen when he brought her into the apartment. He picked it up and took it to the couch with him.

His better judgment told him he should leave it alone, that it wasn't polite to look through other people's private things. But his curiosity got the best of him and he opened her bag and looked inside. He was surprised to see so many books as it seemed quite light when he picked it up. She must have placed a charm on it.

Her wand lay on top of all the other things that filled the bag. He reached out to touch the smooth wood. When his fingers brushed the surface, a strong surge of magic coursed through him. He jerked his hand back as if he had been burned. He took a deep breath to calm himself. While he was very happy with how his life was at the moment, he sometimes missed magic so much his heart seemed to ache.

Under the wand, sat the book he always saw Hermione read. He reached in, careful not to touch the wand again, and pulled the book out. It looked very old and quite unordinary, and he wondered what interest Hermione had in it. He read the faded golden lettering on the front of the book.

_A Comprehensive Guide to Common Ailments and Illnesses_

He had seen this book before. He closed his eyes and thought about where he might have come across it.

_Draco knocked on the door to his father's study._

"_Come in, Son. There is something I need to discuss with you." His father answered. _

_A house elf had interrupted Draco and Pansy in the middle of a very heated snogging session. His father better have had a good reason for summoning him. It had taken him half an hour of sweet talking to get Pansy to let him relieve her of her sweater. Another fifteen minutes and he would have had her in just her knickers. The way he had to throw her out, he would have to buy her some expensive gift to have a chance at her again._

"_I have something interesting I want you to see." Lucius passed a book to _

_Draco._

"_I gave up an interesting afternoon with Pansy for a book." Draco drawled. _

"_Just take a look at it. I think you will appreciate this more than an easy shag with the whore you call a girlfriend. I know you can find a better candidate than that Parkinson slag. She just wants you for your money."_

"_She wasn't exactly easy. I have had to be exceptionally nice to her all summer to get her into my quarters. And I was interrupted for a book." Draco whined._

_Opening the book, a feeling of apprehension filled him. He read the first page, which contained instructions for a spell that turned a person against all who loved him, giving the victim the urge to harm or kill anyone he would call a friend. The next page contained a spell that caused a person to speak insults in place of endearments. The next, a spell that caused hallucinations. This was a book of dark spells that affected the mind. It left the unfortunate victims insane. _

_He was surprised to see that at the bottom of each page, a counter curse was scribbled in small writing for each of the curses. He wondered why anyone who was willing to perform such terrible curses would care about counter curses. Hiding his great disgust for the book, he planted a smirk on his face and raised a questioning eyebrow at his father that said, "So?"_

"_This, my son, is the great weapon that the Dark Lord has entrusted to me, that will surely win him the war. You see, if we can turn Potter's friends against him he will not have a chance against the Dark Lord. Our primary target is that Mudblood, Granger. Potter is not smart enough to get anywhere without her."_

_As much as Draco hated Potter and his sidekicks, he did not wish the spells of this book on anyone. Not even a Mudblood. It was at that moment a buried feeling of hope that Potter would defeat the Dark Lord first surfaced. This is what would later give him the strength to lower his wand that night on the Astronomy Tower. He could not let his father see what he was thinking so he hid his feelings and put on a face that showed he was intrigued. _

_He listened as his father explained that the book would be warded against unwelcome eyes. A spell would be put on it, so that only someone with Malfoy blood would be able to read it. Lucius taught Draco the spell that would allow him to gain access to the book and explained that it would also take a drop of his blood. Draco never understood why dark spells often required a wizard to mutilate oneself to carry out the spell. _

_Lucius then took an old Muggle medical text and transferred the cover and text onto the spell book. Draco thought it quite ironic that Lucius chose a Muggle book. In fact Lucius had a weakness for Muggle literature which always confused Draco as a child, as he was taught that anything Muggle was inferior._

Draco opened his eyes and stared at the book. His mother must have packed it along with all the other Muggle books when she cleaned out his study after the execution. She donated them all to a Muggle bookstore in London. The store owner was quite excited as there were many rare copies of certain books. Several first editions and signed novels.

Why did Hermione have this book, and what was her fascination with it? Did it have something to do with her "medical research"? He got a sick feeling in his stomach that she might be researching a cure for a spell that came from that book. It also put him a hard position. He knew that none of the other books in her bag on curse breaking and decoding would give her the answers she searched for. Only he could help her, but that would mean revealing to her his identity and picking up a wand again.

He knew that once he picked up a wand again, he would never be able to go back to the Muggle life. A life that he had become so comfortable in. A life that allowed him to be himself and not someone that everyone expected him to be. A life where he had real friends and people who really liked him for who he was and not because he was rich or they were scared of him. For the first time in a really long time he found himself in a position where the decision he made would affect everything.

Hermione slowly opened her eyes and then quickly shut them again. The light pouring in from the window was doing nothing for her pounding head. She reached over to her nightstand for her wand, so that she could close the curtains. When her hand didn't find her nightstand, she willed her eyes open. She sat up quickly, too quickly, when she noticed that she wasn't in her room, but somewhere quite unfamiliar. She looked down and noticed that she was not in her clothes but an old t-shirt. Suddenly, memories of the night before rushed through her head.

Max. What had she done? Where was Max? Surely she didn't do _that_. Gathering up her courage she climbed out of bed and searched around for her clothes. They were nowhere to be seen and she didn't have any pants on. She walked over to the dresser and looked through the drawers until she came across a pair of draw string flannel pants. Putting them on and pulling the string as tight as she could, she steeled herself to face the morning after.

Upon leaving the room, much to her relief, the first thing she saw was the blanket and pillow on the couch. So she didn't sleep with Max after all. She looked around until she saw the kitchen. Facing the stove, Max appeared to be cooking bacon and eggs. She allowed herself to think that this man must be perfect. He was kind, fun, handsome, and could cook. A blush reached the tops of her cheeks.

Not wanting to startle him she quietly cleared her throat to alert him to her presence. When he turned around she was peering at the floor.

"Good morning. How do you feel?" He was smiling at her when she looked back up. She felt herself relax. He always had a way to rid her of her apprehension. She couldn't help but feel comfortable around him.

"I've felt better. I must look a fright," she said as she ran her fingers through her hair, which quickly became tangled. She blushed again.

"You look beautiful. You always look beautiful," he continued to smile at her and her blush became deeper. "Why don't you have some tea and aspirin while I finish breakfast? This tea always seems to make me feel better. The peppermint and lemon is calming."

"Thanks," she said as she sat down at the table. What she really wanted was a hangover potion, but the tea did seem to settle her stomach some. "Um, where are my clothes," she asked him.

"Well, you sort of got sick last night, so I took them to the wash room this morning." Seeing the horrified look on her face, he quickly added, "It's ok. I am used to Jack coming home drunk, so that wasn't the first time I have had to clean up a mess." This however just seemed to make her look worse.

_Way to go, Hermione. I threw up all over the man of my dreams. _She thought to herself as she took another sip of tea.

"I will go put them in the dryer after breakfast. You can take a shower if you like while we wait."

"That sounds great," she replied gratefully.

Hermione ate a large helping of eggs and bacon, realizing that she was quite hungry. Maybe her mother was right and she hadn't been eating as well as she should. Draco looked quite pleased when she asked for more eggs. Most women were afraid to eat in front of men. He always thought it silly. If someone is hungry they shouldn't be embarrassed to eat.

He was glad she seemed comfortable around him. He was afraid it would be awkward come morning. After they ate, Draco found Hermione a clean towel, and she went to take her shower.

She lathered the shower gel into thick foam and smoothed it over her body. She breathed in the scent that was so much Max, and also reminded her of someone else who had at one time elicited great feeling in her although they were feelings quite opposite of what she got when she thought of Max.

Draco Malfoy had a way of getting her angry in a way that no one else could. But by the end of the war she just felt sorry for him. Harry had shared what had happened on the Astronomy Tower and she wondered what Draco Malfoy had really had to grow up with. She did not doubt that he thought himself superior, but she also knew that people who made a habit of insulting others often did so to make themselves feel more important.

She closed her eyes as the calming effect of the peppermint and lemon filled her senses. She was finding herself falling in love with Max. But did he feel the same? Sure he was nice to her, and he had asked her back out, but he hadn't so much as tried to kiss her. Most men would have taken advantage of a drunken woman, but he gave her his bed and slept on the couch. He had changed her clothes last night, but she thought he was probably a perfect gentleman about that too, doing his best to preserve her modesty.

She was brought back to reality when the water suddenly turned cold. She lived in a wizarding community where the water was warmed by magic. This made her realize that if things with Max ended up going farther, she would have to tell him she was a witch. Would he believe her, or think her a freak? Would the knowledge of such a world scare him off? She knew there were instances where a wizard or witch would marry a Muggle, but she knew many of those situations ended in divorce because the differences were too great. But she was Muggleborn so she could cope in a Muggle home. But did she want to? She had given up most of her Muggle habits. Would she be willing to go back?

She dried off with the towel Max had given her and poked her head out of the bathroom.

"Hey, Max. Are my clothes dry yet?"

"Yeah, I have them here." Hermione suppressed a chuckle when she saw Max walk over with her clothes in his hand and his eyes were squeezed almost shut. He almost ran into a side table.

"You can open your eyes. I have a towel around me, and I am not that modest. I lived with my two best male friends for a year after school let out."

Draco blushed but he also had a jealous look on his face. The thought of Potter and Weasley seeing Hermione in just a towel made him want to punch something.

Hermione went to put her clothes on and realized she didn't have any clean knickers. She would just have to Scourgify them.

"Max, can you bring me my bag? Thanks," she said when he handed it to her.

She whispered the spell and put her clean knickers and clothes back on. She then searched through the bathroom drawers for a hair dryer. She hated using a hair dryer on her hair. She much preferred to charm it dry. She had so much hair that it took way too long to dry the Muggle way. After about ten minutes she gave up on it and preformed the charm.

She walked out of the bathroom feeling much better. The aspirin had started to work, and it felt good to get the pub grime off of her in the shower.

Draco was sitting on the couch when Hermione came out of the shower. He grinned when he realized she must have charmed her hair dry because he did not hear the dryer going near long enough to dry all her hair. The old Draco could have made a derogatory comment about it.

He realized he wasn't ready for her to go home yet and quickly searched his mind for a way to get her to spend the day with him. If he could get her to talk about her work maybe his decision to keep his identity secret or not would get easier. He hoped that she was really just researching old Muggle medical practices, and the book had nothing to do with the dark spells hidden within it.

"Today is my day off and I was wondering if you would like to go with me to the park for a picnic. My friends kind of commandeered you last night, and I want a chance to talk to you and get to know you more."

Despite the voice in her head screaming that she had taken enough time away from work, Hermione felt herself accept his invitation. It was Sunday, and she could work overtime next week to make up for last night and today. Her boss did tell her she needed to take a break from her work.

"I do want to go back to my apartment and change into more comfortable clothes and shoes. Why don't I meet you at the park at noon? What can I bring?"

"Just bring yourself. I will take care of everything. Can I walk you home? Or call you a cab?"

"A cab would be great, thanks."

A half hour later a cab pulled up. The cab driver was confused when she had him drop her off after only a block. She walked over to an alley and Apparated home. She needed to floo her boss and let her know that she would not be in today, and she wanted to go see Dean before she had to meet Max at the park. It had been a while, and she felt guilty for not working on his case today.


	6. Chapter 6: A Visit and a Picnic

Chapter 6

A Visit and a Picnic

Hermione arrived at St. Mungos and went straight to the fourth floor turning down the hall to the Frank and Alice Longbottom Ward. Dean lived in Room 6. One of the changes Neville insisted on was remodeling the long-term residents ward to be homier. The residents now had their own rooms with private bathrooms. This was a great improvement from the communal living that was in place before. They now have a common room with television and game tables. They may eat in the dining room or choose to take meals in their rooms.

Hermione sought out Healer Martin who was Dean's primary healer. She saw her talking to Dean over in the corner of the common room. This must be a good day if he had agreed to come out into the common room. Hermione walked over to them and waited for Healer Martin to "introduce" her to Dean. It always broke her heart when he would greet her as if he had never met her before.

"Dean, this is Hermione. She was one of your friends from school, and she is one of the researchers working on your case. Dean, why don't you talk with Hermione for awhile while I go talk to Jesse in Room 12?" Healer Martin turned and left Hermione and Dean to talk in private.

"Hi, Dean. How are you feeling?" Hermione sat across the table from him.

"I'm fine. I guess. It is just so weird not to know who I am or where I am. It's also kind of sad that I won't remember this tomorrow. Will you visit me tomorrow too?"

Hermione smiled sadly at him as she assured him that she would visit again tomorrow. It use to bother her to lie to him this way, but it always seemed to make him happy when she promised to return the next day. He wouldn't remember her telling him this anyway.

"I must have had many friends at school. You are the fifth to visit me today. First, two people called Harry and Ginny came by. They were nice enough. She is having a baby you know?"

No, Hermione did not know. She was sad that they did not even feel fit to tell her. At that moment she felt extremely lonely. She so desperately missed her friends, but they didn't seem to miss her.

"And then this guy Ron came by with his girlfriend Jasmine, or Rose, or . . ."

"Lavender"

"Yeah, that's it. I didn't like her much. She wasn't very smart. It seemed Ron could have found someone better. Like you. You are so much nicer and prettier."

"Thanks, Dean. You don't know how good that makes me feel." Then she changed the subject not wanting to talk about Harry and Ron and their current lives. Knowing that it is best to talk about things that had only happened that day and avoid the past, she asked him about what he had for breakfast. They talked for awhile about Dean's plans for the day. Then Dean asked Hermione if she had a husband or boyfriend.

"Well, not exactly. But there is someone. His name is Max, and he is a Muggle. He is a very kind man. I think you would like him."

"I am sure I would like anyone you find to be nice. You will have to bring him to meet me sometime. Maybe when you come tomorrow?" He had a look of hope in his eyes that broke Hermione's heart.

"Sure, Dean. I have to go now. I'm meeting Max for a picnic. I'll see you tomorrow, ok." She leaned over and kissed his cheek and then turned to walk out of the ward. She vowed to herself that she would find a cure for him if it was the last thing she did.

She arrived at the park, thankful that it was an unseasonably warm day. She scanned the park and her eyes landed on the dark head of the man who had a way of making her heart skip a beat. He was stretched out on a quilt with his feet out in front of him. He was watching a father playing with his two young children. The father spun his young daughter around and then threw her in the air. The young girl squealed before she landed and then took off towards her mother.

Hermione couldn't help but wonder what kind of father Max would be. If he was as good at fatherhood as he was at everything else, he would win Father of the Year awards.

"Hey." He jumped when he heard her voice, but then smiled when he saw her. He couldn't get over how beautiful she was.

"Hey," Draco smiled when he saw her and handed her a bouquet of brightly colored flowers. "I brought some lasagna from Joe's. I also brought chocolate chip cookies for dessert." He patted the spot next to him on the quilt and she sat next to him. He was so close she could catch the scent of peppermint and lemon that was so perfectly him.

"Thank you. These are beautiful! I don't think anyone has ever given me flowers before." She smiled, but he couldn't miss the sad look on her face.

They ate in silence for a while. Finally Draco broke the silence.

"Is the lasagna ok?"

"Oh, it's fine." She startled at the sound of his voice. She had been thinking about her visit with Dean.

"You seem quiet. Did I do something wrong? If you don't like chocolate chip I could go get you something else."

The look of vulnerability on his face made her heart melt. He was worried for her. She was not used to having people worry over her, unless you counted her mother or her boss, who was like a second mother.

"I'm fine. Chocolate chip is actually my favorite. I'm sorry I'm a little quiet. I was just thinking about a visit with a friend I had this morning after I left your apartment. He's in a permanent ward. In fact, it's his case that I'm currently researching."

Although Draco had wanted to talk to her about her work, he had hoped he could get a little more time with her before having to make his decision. Either way he was afraid he would lose her.

"What is wrong with him?" Draco asked, eager to keep her talking now that she had started.

"He has a condition that affects his memory. It is similar to amnesia. He forgets everything every time he wakes up. The Heal … uh doctors have to explain his condition to him every morning. Some days are better than others. Today was a good day."

Hermione was silent for a moment and Draco could see her fighting back tears.

"What is his name?" He didn't even know why he asked. He didn't want to know. It would make his decision so much more personal.

"Dean. Dean Thomas. His name is Dean." The sadness filled her eyes again.

Draco remembered Dean Thomas from school. Despite the fact that Dean was a Gryffindor and a half blood he had liked him. Well maybe not liked, but he wasn't as intolerable as the rest of the Gryffindors. He had played some on the Gryffindor Quidditch Team.

"You must have been really close in school."

"No more than any of my other classmates. But nobody should have to live that way. I have been working on this case for five years and I'm no closer to finding a cure than the day I started searching. I spend every waking moment researching cures. I feel guilty about being here right now. I can't even go on a picnic without thinking that I should be at the library, or hunting down leads. What kind of human could do this to a person?"

If Draco was not a wizard he would have found the last part peculiar. But he knew what she was talking about. Death Eaters. People like his father, and his friends, and him. He had to force the guilt back down his throat. It broke his heart that Hermione had to go through this. And he had done nothing to stop it. He had known about the book. He could have gone to Dumbledore, or someone else in the Order.

He knew what he had to do, but he had to make sure there was no other way. And he wanted to do this first.

He leaned in and kissed her. Anyone would have told him that the timing was wrong, but he wanted to know how she tasted before he lost her forever. He expected her to pull away but she stayed still and let him deepen the kiss. When he ran his tongue across her bottom lip she opened her mouth to invite him in. Suddenly she was kissing him back. They tried to convey to one another the love that was growing in the both of them through the kiss. When he could not stand it any longer he pulled back for air and saw that the tears she had been fighting were falling freely down her cheeks.

"Thank you, Max. Thank you for listening and being here. It is so hard sometimes."

"I know you're a witch." He blurted it out before he could stop himself. He wanted her to be able to share all of herself with him, and knew that she was holding back a part of herself because she thought him a Muggle. He quickly went on to give her an explanation.

"Your bag dropped when we got home last night, and your wand fell out" He wouldn't tell her he had snooped in her bag. "I have a cousin on my mum's side who is a wizard. I know about your world." This wasn't exactly a lie. He did have cousins that were wizards on his mother's side.

And she started laughing. Out loud, side splitting laughter. The look of horror on his face at her laughter just made her laugh harder.

"So … so… sorry. So you know. I was so worried you would think me a freak. I am Muggleborn. In my world I used to be considered inferior because I'm not a pureblood witch. In this world," she gestured around her and then at him, "I'm afraid of being considered a freak because I am a witch."

He kissed her again and she quickly stopped laughing and kissed him back. He tasted of peppermint and lemon. Who would have ever thought peppermint and lemon would elicit such a passion within her. First rage, and hate at a boy named Draco Malfoy, and now lust and _love? _For a man named Max Black. She didn't think she could take any more surprises today and then he pulled away from her and said it, this time tears threatening to fall from _his_ eyes.

"I think I love you, Hermione," he said in a quiet voice. "But I'm so afraid when you learn who I am, the real me, you'll despise me. There are things in my past that I am so ashamed of."

"No, I could never despise you. You are one of the kindest people I know. You're full of humility and love."

"I want to meet him. I want to meet Dean. I want to meet the person for whom you work so hard."

"Tomorrow. I promised him I would go back tomorrow. He asked that I bring you. Thank you. Thank you for not being repulsed by me because I am a witch or _Mudblood_ or whatever, for loving me for me. I think I love you too. Is that bad? That we fell so fast for one another and we don't really even know each other? You just found out last night that I was a witch, and I know nothing about you. But I love you. Nothing else matters, what happened in the past doesn't matter."

Draco hoped with all his might that she meant it. He couldn't help but think that when she found out she might change her mind. Could she really forgive him for all he did to her at school? For the names he called her? The hell he gave her and her friends? For his being a Death Eater? For keeping his father's book a secret all these years? If only he would have turned the book in to the right person, Dean would have been cured years ago. She would have never walked into the café.

AN: Thanks to my beta Megganisms.


	7. Chapter 7: Decisions to Make

Chapter 7

Decisions to Make

Hermione awoke the next morning from the familiar dream of falling into darkness. Since she had met Max though, it had evolved. She had always been alone. But recently a hand had been reaching for her, always out of reach. Last night the hand had a face. Max had reached for her but still wasn't able to catch her. She would yell for him to do magic, but he would just look at her with sad eyes. Sad gray eyes that were not his own but seem to fit him just the same.

She flooed her boss to let her know she would be working from the hospital. She would meet Max at his apartment and then they would side along apparate to St. Mungos where they would visit with Dean. She wanted to take Max to lunch at the Leaky Cauldron and then needed to go to Flourish and Blotts for another book on code breaking.

She hummed the song from the club where she and Max had danced. As she flitted around the apartment, she couldn't help but be excited about seeing Max again. It was all so new. They had confessed their love to one another, but she still worried that it had been lust and infatuation talking. She never believed the stories of love at first sight. She always believed that relationships took work. That love was something that happened as a result of compromises and allowances of one another's character. She had always thought that relationships were like what she and Ron had. She never imagined that it would be easy to love someone. That she could have what she did with Max.

Draco had awoken from the nightmare early in the morning. The dreams now all started with him pointing his wand at Hermione, rather than Dumbledore, trying to will himself to speak the words that would take her life. Instead the words came from behind him and she was knocked over the side of the tower. He rushed to the edge looking for her to be lying across the grass below, but instead she was falling into darkness. She called for him to help her, but when he went to raise his wand to levitate her up, he found it to be gone.

Draco paced nervously around his living room as he waited for Hermione to knock on the door. He had called in sick that morning. The truth was he had not felt himself since Hermione had walked into his life. He felt better than he had a right to feel. He did not deserve happiness that he found when he was with her. What would it be like to be around magic again after so long? He would feel vulnerable in the Wizarding world without his wand, but he wasn't ready to show Hermione who he was yet. Besides, he would need her help to get his wand out of the locked chest.

Would she even do that for him when he explained who he was, or walk away from him forever? No, she would help him get his wand when she learned that he had the key to cure Dean. But then she would walk away. He vowed to cherish every moment he had with her today.

He would tell her tonight and explain to her that he really had changed. That he wasn't the same git that had called her horrible names and threw curses at her at every chance. He would explain that despite the Dark Mark that had once marred his skin, he was not a Death Eater. He didn't hate Muggleborns or Muggles. The only true friends he ever had were Muggle. He would plea for her to not leave him alone again. That she was so much better than him, and while he didn't deserve her, he would work hard everyday to be a better person and he would love her with all his being. That he could love her enough to make up for everything else.

The knock on the door was quiet but startled him just the same. He ran a hand over his shirt rubbing out nonexistent wrinkles and then opened the door to see her standing there. As usual she took his breath away. She wasn't gorgeous like the models he saw in the magazines Jack brought home. She held a natural beauty that was so real, and it went deeper than her skin. Her kindness and willingness to help others shone bright from within her. No one else he knew would have devoted five years of her life to help a friend that didn't even remember her.

"Hi," he said with a smile on his face. He leaned in and kissed her, softly at first. Her response to him caused him to deepen the kiss. When he pulled back her cheeks were pink and flushed. The smile she gave him melted his heart. He hated what he had to do to her that night.

"Are you ready?" she asked taking his arm. She had explained apparition to him at the park. He found it hard to allow her to go on about it without giving himself away. But he was a Malfoy after all and one of the first skills Malfoys must learn is how to feign indifference and innocence of things they should not know about. It was how Lucius kept his freedom after the first war.

"I am. Let's go then." She squeezed his arm and he felt the uncomfortable feeling that could only be apparition.

He wobbled on his feet when they reached St. Mungos.

"It takes some getting used to. Most people find themselves dizzy the first time they attempt apparition," she assured him.

_Or if it had been five years. _He thought to himself.

Hermione led him through the window of Purge and Dowse, Ltd, and up to the fourth floor. The nervous feeling in his stomach returned in full force. What if he ran into someone he knew? They wouldn't recognize him. Hermione had spent many hours with him and didn't know who he was. How would anyone else know? He felt that the only thing holding him up was Hermione's hand in his.

They heard it before they saw it. A loud voice echoing through the hall.

"GET OFF ME! DON'T TOUCH ME. WHO ARE YOU PEOPLE? JUST LEAVE ME ALONE."

Hermione dropped Draco's hand and ran toward the voice. Draco quickened his pace to keep up with her. The sight before him made him sick. Four orderlies were surrounding a tall black man, trying to contain him in his fit. He recognized him to be Dean Thomas. A Healer caught sight of Hermione and him and quickly met them on their way into the room.

"He was fine this morning, Hermione. He visited with Harry for a while and they played a game of wizard chess. After Harry left, Ron came in with Lavender. Lavender still does not understand that she cannot talk about the past with him. She made a crass comment about him forgetting _her_," the Healer said this with a hint of annoyance in her voice, "and he just lost it. He has been doing this for forty-five minutes. We finally got Ron and Lavender to leave, but we can't get Dean to take his calming draught."

Draco was amazed at what happened next. Hermione walked over to Dean, and despite his continued yelling, took his face in her hands. She cooed softly to him reassuring him that everything was alright.

"Dean, look at me please," she said in a quiet voice. "It is me Hermione. I am your friend. I am here to help you. But you need to take your potion."

At the sound of her voice, Dean immediately calmed and looked at her. She reached for the Calming Draught that one of the orderlies was holding. She put it to his lips and tipped it into his mouth. He drank it down and immediately relaxed. Assured that he would not start his fit back up and that Hermione had things under control, the orderlies returned to their regular duties.

"Thank you," he said to Hermione when she sat next to him on the couch. "I'm sorry," he bowed his head in shame.

"You have nothing to be sorry about Dean," she reassured him. She then motioned for Draco to join her and Dean. He sat in the chair that faced the sofa.

"Dean, this is Max. He is a friend of mine. He wanted to meet you."

Dean and Draco shook hands.

"Dean, what book do you have there?" Hermione asked despite the fact she knew what book he held tightly in his hand. It was a book she had given him on one of the first visits she made to him at St. Mungos. _Alice in Wonderland _had become his favorite book despite the fact that he hadn't gotten past the first few chapters. She hoped that someday he would be able to finish the book.

"_Alice in Wonderland_," he replied with the excitement of a child.

"Would you like me to read to you?" Hermione asked him, even though she knew that he had not lost the ability to do basic tasks such as reading. He only forgot people and events.

"Could you?" he answered with hope in his voice.

"Of course, what chapter are you on?"

"Chapter two," he said as he seemed to snuggle down for the story.

Draco watched as Hermione read to Dean, in much the same way that a mother would read to a son. He wasn't listening to the words, but watching the reactions Dean had to the story, and Hermione's reactions to Dean. At one such time she glanced over at Draco when Dean had found a particular part quite humorous and let out a bark of laughter.

Behind her smile he saw sadness; a deep sadness for Dean, and for her inability to help him, no matter how hard she tried. But she did help him. Didn't she know? She had calmed him down and the gift she was giving him now was such a selfless thing. What other person would sit and read to someone who would just forget the story come morning?

Any doubt about what he was planning to do that evening left him in that moment. He returned her sad smile with one of his own. Everything he had done in his life had been for selfish reasons including giving up his wand. For the first time in his life he would do something for someone else; something for her.

By the end of the fourth chapter, Dean had drifted off to sleep, exhausted from the events of the morning. Hermione gave him a kiss on his forehead and they left to go get lunch.

Draco and Hermione arrived at the Ground Floor and ran into no other than Harry, Ginny, Ron, and Lavender. Hermione lost it. Draco had not seen her so mad since third year when she slapped him. Before he knew it she had Lavender backed up against the wall with her wand in her face.

"Don't even think about going back up to see Dean. He doesn't need you to remind him of things he can't get back. In fact, you better never go near him again or I will see to it that you won't be able to enter this hospital without sprouting horns from you little empty head."

Lavender shot a pleading look to Ron, but he knew not to mess with Hermione when she got like this. He could still remember the birds from sixth year. He sort of agreed with her. He knew he made a mistake when he cheated on Hermione, that he gave up the best thing in his life for such a stupid and easy shag.

"Hermione?" Draco said quietly trying to get her to calm down. He put his hand on her shoulder and she turned around and sank into him, her tears flowing heavily now.

"Who the bloody hell are you?" Ron spoke for the first time.

"Ron," Lavender said with hurt in her voice that he would even care. Ron just shrugged her away and stared pointedly at Draco.

The tears stopped and Hermione turned back around, the rage having returned to her eyes. "For your information, Ron Weasley, this is Max Black and he is a much better man than you ever could be." This shut Ron up immediately.

Draco felt a bit of pride that she would think him better than Weasley, but then trepidation at the thought that if she really knew who he was she would have never said what she did.

"I think we will be going now. Max?" She reached for his hand which he gladly took. As a last thought she turned to Harry and Ginny. "Congratulations on your expected bundle of joy. Dean told me." They had the consideration to look ashamed and both mumbled a "Thank you". With a last look of warning to Lavender, Hermione led him back to the front glass.

Despite the morning they had, the rest of the day was quite uneventful. They ate at the Leaky Cauldron and he forgot how much he missed butterbeer. Despite his prior reservations he rather enjoyed being back in the Wizarding world.

Hermione laughed when he begged to go into the broom store. He looked like a first year admiring the cool looking brooms.

"Do you fly on a broom?" He asked her.

She chuckled at his question. This seemed to be the easiest things for Muggles to comprehend, as much of their stories about witches included broomsticks. "No, not me; it was always Harry and Ron that enjoyed flying. I like to keep my feet firmly on the ground, thank you very much."

"Too bad, I would have really liked to go flying with you sometime." The look of disappointment made her think that if it made him happy, she would fly him to the moon.

After going into Flourish and Blotts they decided to go to Fortescue's for ice cream.

"You know," she said between bites of triple chocolate chunk ice cream, "Diagon Alley has not always been this way. There was a time during the war where you couldn't walk down the street without fear of being attacked. I am sure you heard about the war from your cousin?"

"Yeah, he talked about it some," Draco replied with guilt clenching at his heart. As much as he still disliked Potter and Weasley, he was eternally grateful to them along with Hermione for what they did for the Wizarding world.

"Hey, could you come over for dinner tonight. We could order out. There is something I need to talk to you about. It is kind of important."

"Sure," she said with a look of concern in her eyes. Was today too much? Did seeing her reaction to Lavender earlier scare him away? She should not have let her temper get the best of her. "I have to go by the office first. The last three days have been the longest I have ever been out of the office. If I stay away any longer they will send out a search party."

They finished their ice cream and planned on meeting at Draco's later in the evening.

AN: Many thanks to my beta Megganisms.


	8. Chapter 8: Confession

Chapter 8

Confession

Draco glanced at the clock. She was already thirty minutes late. Maybe she wasn't coming. He began to panic just before he heard a knock on the door. He opened the door to find a very harried Hermione on his front steps.

"I am so sorry I'm late. You would think that they would be able to do without me in the office for a few days without everything going to hell. I had to straighten out a dozen inquiries on different cases that littered my desk. Most of them had been directed to the wrong division, and should have been sent to the Cures for Curable Curses department instead of my department, Cures for Incurable Curses. . ."

At this point, Draco did the only thing he knew to do to get Hermione to shut up. He kissed her. She sank into his kiss thinking how wonderful it felt to have someone here to ground her when she got this way. Harry used to be that person, of course it never involved kissing, but since the breakup of their friendship, she often found herself overwhelmed by the stress in her life. She would often take it out on her coworkers or anyone else that had the misfortune to be around her.

When Draco was sure that Hermione would listen to him, he broke the kiss and said, "Hermione, I really need to talk to you. I'm so afraid you will hate me after what you hear. I'm afraid you will leave and I'll be alone again. I mean, I have Jack, but he is always chasing after girls. I mean the girls are always nice enough, but try to carry on a conversation with one of them . . ."

This time it was Hermione's turn to stop Draco from babbling. She kissed him the same way he had kissed her just a second before.

After a moment she pulled away and looked into his eyes. "Max, whatever it is, you don't have to tell me. It really doesn't matter. Whatever happened in the past isn't important. We have now, and the future. I don't care about anything else."

Draco took a deep breath. She was giving him an out; a way to go on with how things were now. But Dean would never get better. He would be trapped in the hell that he faced every morning for the rest of his life.

"I have to tell you Hermione. I couldn't live with myself if I didn't. It affects more than just me and you."

"I don't understand. What could it be, Max, that could be so bad?"

"I've lied to you Hermione. I'm not who you think I am. My name is not Max."

"I don't understand. Who are you then? Why would you lie to me about your name? I don't care what your name is. I love you." She moved to kiss him again, but he stopped her. Her words hurt. He wished she would stop talking. It was making it harder for him to say what he had to.

"I'm a wizard."

"That's great! I don't understand though, what could be bad about that?"

"I was a bad wizard, Hermione. I wasn't nice to people like you; Muggleborns."

"Ok, but you're different now. I don't care," she said with a nervous laugh. Surely he wasn't a Death Eater or anything. Even she had done some cruel things with magic before. Look at Rita Skeeter or Marietta Edgecombe.

She was making it so hard. She didn't understand what he meant. He took off his shirt. He looked up to see her looking at his chest with a frown on her face. She reached up and ran a finger down the scars that stretched across his chest. The scars he had left on the surface of the glamour so that he would never forget what had brought him to this place.

He watched as comprehension spread across her face.

"_He was crying in the bathroom to Moaning Myrtle when I walked in. When he saw me he got so angry. We threw some hexes at each other and then he tried to Crucio me. I remembered one of the Prince's spells; Sectumsempra. I didn't know what it would do. I swear. It cut across him like a sword. There was blood everywhere. I would have never cast that spell if I had known what it did." Harry had recounted the story to Hermione and Ron as soon as he had returned from talking with Professor Snape. Hermione had gone on to lecture him about the Half Blood Prince._

"Malfoy," she whispered, and she looked up into his eyes as if searching for the truth, willing him to contradict her.

"Hermione, I'm sorry."

A look of hurt crossed her eyes that quickly turned to rage.

"You bastard. All this time. The night at the club. The day at the park. It was all a lie. Some great joke at the expense of the _dirty little Mudblood_," her voice was eerily calm. But he could sense the magic building in her. He figured he deserved whatever curse she was about to hit him with.

In fact it would have been better than what happened next. She didn't curse him, she just apparated away. She left him standing there half naked in the living room staring at the blank spot in front of him. The tingle from the kiss they shared just moments before still on his lips.

It took him a minute before he realized she was really gone. He had expected her to get angry, and possibly curse him into a slug, but he didn't expect her to leave before he could explain to her why. What about Dean? He didn't get to explain the situation with Dean. He had to find her and tell her he could help.

He deserved to be alone, but Dean did not deserve to be left in the state he was in because of mistakes he had made. He had to find Hermione, but he didn't even know where she lived. He couldn't get to any of the Wizarding places without his wand. He would have to figure out something. He owed at least this much to Hermione, Dean, and the rest of the victims that lay in St. Mungos because of the spells in that book. Wasn't it his father's fault they were there, and his own for not telling anyone about the book?

Hermione apparated right into her apartment. She sent a curse crashing into the vase sitting in the middle of the kitchen table holding the flowers that Max, no, _Malfoy_, had given her that day in the park. She had charmed them to stay fresh. It didn't matter now as they were strewn all over the kitchen along with water and shards of glass.

She slid her back down the wall until she was sitting on the floor. The tears just fell as she buried her head in her hands. The hurt she felt was so great that it seemed to pour out of her in sobs.

She had promised herself that she would never trust a man after Ron. She would never let herself fall in love again. She hadn't even allowed herself to have friends after she had lost Harry. She had finally put the pieces of herself back together after she broke up with Ron, and she didn't cry anymore. She still missed Ron and Harry with all her heart, but she didn't cry. And then Draco Malfoy of all people comes along and tears her back into pieces, and here she was sitting alone in the middle of the floor crying. At least last time she still had Harry. It wasn't until later that they stopped talking to one another. He was there to hold her after she caught Ron with Lavender, but now she was all alone.

How could she not have known? Had she not thought of Draco Malfoy when she first caught the scent of peppermint and lemon that first day in the café? And did she not catch glimpses of gray behind his brown eyes from time to time? She was supposed to be the cleverest witch of her generation. But didn't she have the fault of always thinking the best in people?

_Yeah, so did Dumbledore, and look where it got him._

She didn't know how long she laid there in the dark on the floor and cried.

_She was falling. It was so dark. She reached out her hands to catch herself, but there was nothing to grab onto. When she tried calling for help, no sound came from her mouth. Then a hand appeared. She tried to grab it but it was out of reach. She looked beyond the hand to the person it belonged to. He had dark hair and eyes._

"_Max!" she finally managed to get out. Then the hair began to lighten and the eyes turned to a storm cloud gray. Malfoy withdrew his arm as if it had been a joke that he would have helped _her_ and then threw back his head and laughed. It was a cold laugh full of malice._

She woke with a start and another tear escaped her eyes before she could stop it. But she would not allow anymore. She would not let him ruin her. She would just do what she always did when she felt lost. She would throw herself into her work. It was familiar and safe. She immediately felt guilty for neglecting her case over the last couple of weeks. She owed Dean more than that.

The sunlight peeking through the living room window told her it was morning. She decided a shower was most important at the moment. She went into the bathroom and looked in the mirror. Her eyes were red and swollen and she felt disgusted with herself for allowing a man to break her again.

She turned the water on as hot as she could stand it. She scrubbed herself with soap, trying to wash the smell of peppermint and lemon that seemed to cling to her after spending the day with him. She wished the scalding water would wash away the hurt and guilt she felt.

After she got out of the shower she brushed her teeth. She could still taste him. _Peppermint and lemon. _Not only did the bastard use peppermint and lemon shower gel, he also drank peppermint and lemon tea. She thought he must have had some before she arrived at his apartment that night.

She applied a glamour to her face to hide her puffy eyes and threw on a clean pair of robes. She apparated to the Ministry Library and went to work on decoding the medical text.

After it finally sank in that Hermione was gone, Draco drank a whole bottle of whisky. In the process of drinking the whiskey he managed to destroy half of his belongings in his room. It wasn't as bad as it sounded as he didn't have that many things, and he did manage to catch himself before smashing the television. He would have greatly regretted that later.

He lay across his bed, going over that night in his head. He should have had a better plan. He should have told her he could help Dean before telling her who he was. He should have made her understand that despite the git he was in school, he wasn't lying when he had said he loved her. That was his last thought when passed out.

_Dumbledore stood on the tower before him. He raised his wand to say those words. The words that would change everything. Dumbledore's form turned into that of Hermione's. She was beautiful standing there in front of him despite the look of disappointment in her eyes. Disappointment in him. He had betrayed her when he had lied to her. "Avada Kedavra." But this time the words didn't come from behind him. They came from him. He had killed her when he had lied to her. He had killed any hope she had for love and happiness and belonging. He left her alone, and heartbroken. She would never trust anyone again. He had taken that innocence away from her that made her believe the good in people. It was already injured and broken when she had come to him from the loss of her friends, but he had destroyed any chance there was in healing it._

Draco awoke covered in sweat. The reality of the night before came crashing down on him. His stomach turned from the quantity of alcohol he had consumed. He rushed into the bathroom and heaved into the toilet. As he was brushing his teeth he caught his reflection in the mirror. He hated himself. He hated himself for ruining the best thing he had ever had. He hated himself for hurting her. The tears started falling for the first time since she had left. He hated himself for crying. He didn't deserve to get to feel this way. Someone like him should never get the chance to love someone like Hermione. She deserved better than him and he deserved to never be loved.


	9. Chapter 9: Asking for Help

Chapter 9

Asking for Help

Draco slipped back into his routine that he had been comfortable in before Hermione walked back into his life. But he didn't laugh as much and he didn't join his friends for nights out at the pub, or get togethers after work.

He found himself watching the door when things were slow at work expecting her to walk through. It never seemed right when someone else would sit at the table in the corner. He never thought that in two weeks time his whole life would change. He never thought himself capable of falling in love, much less missing someone so much that he hurt inside. He always thought a broken heart was just an expression, but the pain sometimes filled him so much that he couldn't breathe. The only thing he could think of that compared was _Crucio_.

At night he found himself wishing for Dreamless Sleep Potion, but settled for whiskey. It was never enough to stop the nightmares though. They alternated between him killing Hermione on the astronomy tower, and the day they walked in on Dean during his fit.

After the third week in a row of waking up from such nightmares he decided he had to do something. He figured his only option was to wait outside of St. Mungos until he saw her and then force her to talk to him. If only he could explain about the book she would forgive him long enough to at least help Dean. He knew she would never love him. The real him. But maybe if they could cure Dean he could sleep a little better.

So between shifts at work he waited outside of Purge and Dowse Ltd. hoping to catch Hermione on her way to visit Dean. For two weeks he watched. He came to notice a routine in the visitors to St. Mungos.

At 10:30 an older woman and what appeared to be her grandchild would enter the hospital. They would leave at noon and walk over to the eatery across the street. In the afternoon a young couple would enter the hospital, a sad look haunting their eyes. He figured they had a child in the hospital and wondered if this were a casualty of the war. He watched as patients would leave the hospital, smiles on their faces, obviously cured of whatever ailment they suffered from.

The same time everyday Potter, the two youngest Weasleys, and the blonde Hermione had threatened would enter the hospital. But he never saw Hermione. He felt bad for Dean as he remembered how calm he was when Hermione was in his presence. He imagined she was spending all her time trying to break the wards on the medical text. If only she would talk to him.

After the second week of watching for her passed, he began to get desperate. Despite his better judgment he decided on a second plan of action. He would approach Potter and beg him to help. Surely things weren't so bad between them that he wouldn't know how to reach her. She never did tell him what happened between the trio, but he always got the impression that things were worse off between her and Weasley, and he hoped she was still on speaking terms with Potter.

So he braced himself and approached the four friends as they went to enter into the hospital.

"Excuse me," he said to their backs. Potter turned around at the sound of his voice.

"Yes, can I help you?" Potter asked when he turned around.

"Well . . ."

"You're that Matt bloke who was with Hermione that day!" Ron interrupted him.

"Uh, Max. Potter could I talk to you a minute. Alone," he added after he glanced at Weasley whose face had turned the color of his hair.

"Is something wrong with Hermione?" Ron interrupted again. Lavender gave him an indignant look.

"No, not exactly," he answered before turning his attention back to Harry. "I just really need to talk to you."

"Ok. Why don't we go to the tea room and we can sit down," Harry replied as he turned toward the window. He stopped when he saw Draco hesitate. "Is something wrong?"

"Well, it is just that I don't have a wand," he answered in a weaker voice than he would have liked. He shot a look at the four friends standing in front of him that said you better not say anything or else. However, Ron was never good at reading looks.

"You're joking! You're a Muggle! Hermione is involved with a Muggle. Unbelievable."

Before Draco could punch him in the face Ginny smacked him on the back of the head. He always did like her more than the other Weasleys.

"Ow, what did I do?"

"Shut up, Ron," Ginny replied. He knew better than to argue.

Draco silently thanked Ginny. It would not do well to punch Weasley in the face if he really wanted Potter's help. Ginny then reached forward and took Draco's arm and led him into the hospital.

The five walked in silence up the stairs to the fifth floor. When they reached the entrance to the tea shop Draco shot another glance at Ron.

Getting the hint Harry said, "Why don't you three go ahead and visit Dean. I'll be there in a bit."

The girls quickly agreed, but Ron was hesitant. Ginny finally had to grab his arm and drag him back down the stairs.

Harry and Draco got their tea and sat down at a table in the corner, both for privacy and out of habit left over from war days.

"So, what's up?" Harry asked, not sure who exactly he was talking to and what he had to do with Hermione.

"Well, I guess I better start at the beginning," and he told Harry about how he and Hermione met at the café and went on a few dates. He left out the conversation in the park though, only barely mentioning the part of telling Hermione he had a wizard for a cousin. He told him about watching Hermione read to Dean on their last visit to St. Mungos.

"You see, that was when I knew that I had to tell her the truth about who I was. I can help Dean."

"What do you mean you can help Dean? What would a Muggle know about dark curses?"

"Whatever I say next, you have to promise not to curse me and hear me out. I was serious when I said I don't have a wand. So I can't defend myself against any hex you send my way even though I definitely deserve it after what I did to Hermione."

"What exactly did you do to Hermione?" Harry said with a hint of uncertainty and in more than a threatening manner.

"I lied to her. I am a wizard and my name is not Max."

"But you said you didn't have a wand," Harry said, and Draco could see him reach into his pocket for what Draco knew was _his_ wand.

"I haven't picked up my wand in five years. It is locked away in a secret chest that I cannot get into with out the help of a witch or wizard."

"I see. So you need me to help you get your wand back."

"Actually, only Hermione can help me. When I performed the spell on the chest, I made sure that it would not be easy for me to break it. I knew it would be hard to give up magic, and I would be tempted to back out of my plan to leave the Wizarding world for good. So I chose the most unlikely person I knew to be my keeper. She didn't know I chose her. I just needed something of hers to put in the chest when I sealed it. I had stolen a quill from her at Hogwarts as a prank and for some reason kept it all these years. I knew that she would be the most unlikely person to help me. So it has to be her."

"You want me to get Hermione to help you, whoever you are, get your wand back? Well you need to know that we aren't exactly the friends we were at Hogwarts. She will hardly talk to me. She blames me for taking Ron's side when he cheated on her with Lavender."

_So that was what had happened to the trio._

"Who are you anyway? I don't recognize you from school."

"I'll tell you who I am in a minute because I don't think you will talk to me much more when you find out. And no, that is still not why I need your help. Well, not exactly. Like I said earlier, I can help Dean. I wasn't a very nice wizard when I was in school. Actually, that is an understatement. I was a right git, and I was involved with the Dark Arts and even with the Death Eaters." Harry flinched at this.

"Hermione has a book that has the counter curse to what Dean suffers. The only thing is, she doesn't know how to break the charm that keeps the information hidden. I do. Only when I told her who I was she disappeared before I could tell her about the book. I don't know how to find her, and since I can not communicate magically, I need your help."

"Will you tell me who you are now?"

"Do you promise to help me even after you find out?"

"Ok."

"Draco Malfoy."

At that moment Harry's first thought was he should hex Malfoy into the ground. Despite the fact that he had testified on behalf of Malfoy at the Ministry hearing, he still loathed the bastard. He looked at the desperate look on the face in front of him; a face that could not have looked any more different than Draco Malfoy's. Even the cold malice he remembered behind Malfoy's eyes was gone. Instead desperation and vulnerability shone out at him.

If what Malfoy said was true, then Dean could be healed. He didn't know if he could trust him, but if it meant there was a chance it could help Dean he at least had to try. The thing was, he didn't have a much better chance of talking to Hermione than Malfoy had.

It wasn't that he hadn't tried to remain friends with Hermione after she and Ron broke up, but she pushed him away in the same way she pushed Ron away. She would go off on him every time he would admit to having lunch with Ron or dinner at the Burrow. He didn't know what was expected of him. He was engaged to Ginny and he couldn't throw away years of friendship with Ron regardless if he was a git.

It started out with Hermione turning down invitations to lunch, and then they just started writing to each other less and less. Now they only sent cards at birthdays and Christmas. His heart ached for her. She was such a part of him at Hogwarts and through the war. He could have never defeated Voldemort without her; just as he never could have defeated Voldemort without Ron. He knew Hermione probably didn't realize it, but he mourned their lost friendship as much as she did. He knew Ron regretted how things ended. He just didn't know how to fix things.

"Malfoy, I'm not sure I should trust you and I don't know how much help I can be. Hermione and I are not exactly on speaking terms."

"You have to try. It would be so easy to go back to my job, my flat, my life as a Muggle and forget Hermione even walked into the café that day." Actually this was a lie. He could never forget Hermione. Despite all the lying he had been doing, he was telling the truth when he had said he loved her. "But I can't walk away from Dean. I know none of us were ever friends, or even civil to one another, but this is the first time in my life that I can really help someone. I've screwed up everything I have ever done. I've caused more hurt in my life to those around me than joy. Please let me help Dean now."

Harry could see the sincerity in Malfoy's eyes. He knew then he would do what he could to help the man in front of him. He wondered what had really happened between Malfoy and Hermione, or _Max and Hermione_, before Malfoy confessed to her who he really was. He couldn't get the picture out of his mind of Malfoy calming her down that day at the hospital when she was moments away from hexing Lavender. He and Ron were never very successful at calming her down when she got in one of her moods. He vividly remembered the night of the Yule Ball and the row that followed. However, she had calmed the both of them down on several occasions.

"Hey, mate! Are you still talking? What could be so important that you sat up here for an hour?" Ron and the girls walked up and sat at the table that Harry and Draco shared.

"We're about done here," Draco replied, but kept his focus on Harry. "So will you help me?"

"Yeah, I'll do what I can."

Hermione spent the next several weeks in the library. Her boss begged her to take the weekends off but knew better than to try to argue. Her coworkers learned to steer clear of her after the researcher in office three sprouted horns. All she did was suggest that if maybe Hermione would do a little something to her hair, and wear a little makeup she might find a man.

Despite the many hours she spent in the library, she didn't get any closer to unlocking the wards on the medical text. She couldn't bring herself to visit Dean in St. Mungos. She felt extremely guilty for wasting two whole weeks that could have been used for working on his case. Granted she had worked on it some during those two weeks, but if she hadn't been distracted she might have cracked the code by now.

She often skipped meals and didn't sleep well at night. She had started taking Dreamless Sleep Potion to help her rest. When she forgot, the nightmares would return. The ones with Draco laughing in the darkness were the worst. She avoided talking to her parents. Her mother would definitely notice her lack of health, and insist she eat and go on holiday.

Harry owled her once and she returned the letter unopened. She thought it strange that he would owl her when it wasn't her birthday, but she didn't want to talk to him. The last time she had seen him she had almost cursed Lavender Brown in front of all of St. Mungos, and _Draco Malfoy_ had to step in to stop her. What would Harry have said if he knew she had kissed Malfoy? She felt guilt and shame at allowing herself to fall for a "stranger" and trusting him without learning more about him. What would Moody have said? He would have rolled over in his grave, or at least his eye would have, if he had known she had been tricked into the enemy's home without a second thought. Constant vigilance indeed.

So she continued down the destructive path of study and isolation only eating enough to sustain her life. But she didn't cry. She wouldn't cry anymore for him. She had no right to cry over lost love when Dean Thomas would never be able to fall in love.


	10. Chapter 10: Falling

Chapter 10

Falling

"Hermione."

Hermione looked up from the book she was reading. The words had started to blur an hour ago, but she made herself focus. She wouldn't give up until she found the answers.

"Hermione," her boss said again as she approached the table covered in old tomes.

"Hi," Hermione answered as she got up from the table to retrieve another book from the shelf behind her. She stumbled as she took a step. She had been a bit dizzy lately. She looked at her watch and realized she hadn't eaten lunch. Her blood sugar must have been low.

"Are you ok?" her boss reached out a hand to steady her.

"I'm fine. Just a little tired, but I'll be fine."

The older woman looked at the pale person standing in front of her. Her skin looked as if it hadn't seen daylight in quite some time and she had dark circles under her eyes. Her usually healthy, but frizzy hair lay dull and limp along her shoulders. Her robes also hung loosely on her body. She looked like someone who had lost a lot of weight in a short amount of time.

"When was the last time you ate something, Hermione?" her boss asked in an accusing but concerned way.

"What?" Hermione was having a hard time focusing on what her boss was saying. The world around her seemed fuzzy and she felt herself losing consciousness. Suddenly she was falling into the darkness.

A week had passed since Draco had met with Harry. He had expected to receive an owl from Harry a couple days ago. It took all the strength he had to make it through the days. They seemed to drag on and on.

One afternoon at the café Jack had asked about Hermione.

"I haven't seen her around lately. Did she find herself a better bloke? Maybe ran off with a rich man?" Draco knew he was just joking, but his words hurt. If only Jack knew how rich Draco really was. But none of that mattered. He hated that money and he hated what he was. He hated himself now for having hurt Hermione.

"Yeah, things just didn't work out." Draco quickly changed the subject to the upcoming football game.

When Saturday came, Draco decided he could not wait any longer. He took a cab to St. Mungos and waited for Potter and Weasley to show up. Since their schedule was pretty regular, he didn't have to wait long.

"Potter," he reached out and grabbed Harry's arm.

"Mal . . . uh Max. I didn't see you standing there." It was part of the glamour; Draco didn't like to be noticed.

"Potter, have you had any luck?"

"I wish you would tell me what the bloody hell is going on," Ron said.

"Jealous are you, Weasley?" Draco cringed when he heard the words slip out of his mouth. He had worked so hard to push that part of himself back. He didn't like that arrogant hateful part of himself. Apparently Weasley didn't like it either because next thing Draco knew; he had a wand in his face.

Ginny grabbed Ron's arm and forced it down. "Ron, the Muggles, you git." She looked around to see if anyone was watching them. "And besides, he doesn't even have a wand."

"Ron, why don't we go inside?"

_So the blonde bitch does talk?_

Draco watched as Lavender led Ron through the window of St. Mungos.

He then looked at Ginny. "You know, having to be rescued by a girl really does nothing for my self esteem."

"You better be glad she was here. She seems to be the only one capable of stopping Ron when he gets into one of his tempers. Course it used to be Hermione before . . ."

"Harry, I think I'll go on in. Why don't you stand out here and talk to Max?"

"Ok. I'll be there in a bit."

"You didn't tell them. Why?"

"I'm not sure. I don't know what to think about all this. I am still not sure I can trust you. But mostly I don't want to get their hopes up. We all love Dean and it would break their hearts if it didn't work." Draco just nodded in reply.

"So did you talk to her?"

"I sent her an owl, but she sent it back unopened."

"So what do we do now?" Draco started to feel panicked. "Can't you go to her work or something?"

"If I want to end up hexed. Listen, she works closely with Dean's Healers. Maybe we can talk to Healer Martin." Draco just nodded and followed Harry to the entrance of St. Mungos. Harry took a hold of Draco's arm and led him through the window. They just appeared on the other side when they heard a loud scream.

"HELP! SOMEONE HELP HER!" Healers started rushing over to a man holding the limp body of a young woman. Beside them was an older woman who must have been the one to scream for help. They were coming out of the apparition point.

Realization crossed the faces of Harry and Draco at the exact same time. "HERMIONE!" They both yelled and rushed over to her.

"What happened?" Draco tried asking the man, but he just shrugged in reply. Harry shushed him when he heard the older women start to explain to the Healers.

"She has been working so hard. I don't think she sleeps much. I don't know when her last meal was. I was talking to her in the Ministry library when she just collapsed. I tried to r_ennervate_ her, but she wouldn't wake up. Please help her!"

"Please clear back. Let us through. We need to get this young witch into a room. Evans, please give this lady a calming draught." The Healer disapparated with Hermione in his clutches, probably to a room.

"Where did he take her?" Draco yelled out to no one in particular.

"Please sir. I will let you know when I find out. Now, if you could tell me your relationship to the young woman. I do need some information on her. Name, address, birth date."

"Hermione Jean Granger. 207 E. Rogers. 19 September, 1979." Harry interjected.

"And you are?" the receptionist said to him.

"Harry Potter."

"Of course. Sorry Mr. Potter. My records have just updated themselves. Ms. Granger has been admitted to room 247."

"Thanks," both boys replied as they dashed toward the stairs not wanting to wait on the lift.

When Draco and Harry entered room 247 the first thing they noticed was a very pale sleeping woman on the bed. Draco's breath seemed to catch in his throat. He couldn't help but feel extremely guilty for contributing to her condition. He could only pray that he would get her to talk to him when she woke up. _If she woke up._ Tears sprang to his eyes and he turned to wipe them before Harry saw. But a sound from beside him told him he wasn't the only one with tears in his eyes. He composed himself when a Healer walked into the room.

"Will she be ok?" he asked the Healer.

"We've got her stabilized, but it depends on her will to live. She hasn't been taking very good care of herself. She is severely malnourished and she has been functioning on very little sleep. We have her under the effects of a sleeping potion at the moment. She should wake up sometime in the morning. It is important we get her to eat when she does."

Neither man wanted to leave Hermione alone that night. After much convincing Draco talked Harry into returning home for the night.

"Potter, your wife is pregnant and she needs you at home. Besides, the Healer said Hermione won't wake until the morning. I am sure you'll be back before she wakes up. I have no one at home waiting for me so it really doesn't matter that I stay." Harry thought it would have probably mattered to Hermione, but he didn't say it. She never thought herself important enough to fuss over. But she was the first to stay beside him any time he was admitted to the hospital wing at Hogwarts, and she stayed every night for a month with Dean after he was cursed.

After everyone had gone home and things seemed to settle down for the night, as much as things could in a hospital, Draco just sat and watched Hermione. She had so many people who loved her, but she didn't seem to realize it. Even Ron's jealousy showed that he still loved her, although perhaps not romantically. The woman who brought Hermione in was genuinely terrified for her life. The truth was that he loved her. He loved her more than anything else in the world. She was the only thing he had ever loved.

She had to survive this, and if she did, he would make it up to her. Even if it meant disappearing from her life forever. He had disappeared before; he could do it again. But not before he broke the curse that was affecting Dean. But after, he would disappear for good if that was what it took to make her happy.

Hermione awoke with a warm heavy feeling in her chest. Things seemed fuzzy as she tried to work out her senses. She tried opening her eyes but the light was too bright so she quickly shut them again. Instead she strained her ears. She thought she heard someone breathing. It was then that she smelled something familiar; Peppermint and Lemon. She must be dreaming. Willing herself to wake up she tried to lift herself into a sitting position. The heavy feeling lifted.

Draco felt Hermione stir beneath him. He must have fallen asleep. He lifted off her chest.

"Hermione," he said tentatively.

"Where am I?" she asked. She still seemed to be under the effects of the potion.

"You're in St. Mungos. You passed out yesterday at work."

"Work. I have to get back to work," she started to rise up from the bed, still unable to focus her eyes. She felt someone push her back down.

"No, you have to stay here. Let me get a Healer."

"Don't leave me," she pleaded as she grabbed his hand. She laid her head back on the pillow and drifted back to sleep. But she didn't loosen her grip on his hand. It felt so right with her hand in his. It fit just right. Without letting go of her hand, he leaned back in his chair and allowed himself to drift back to sleep as well.

An hour later, Draco woke with a start at the sound of a loud voice.

"What the hell! What are you doing in my room? Where am I? Get the hell away from me!"

"Hermione, please," Draco answered. "You are in the hospital. You were brought in yesterday by your boss. I need to talk to you, Hermione."

"Get out of here you bastard. HELP! PLEASE, SOMEONE HELP ME! GET HIM AWAY!" Several Healers ran into the room.

"Sir, you need to leave now. We are going to have to stun her. Please, leave."

"What is going on in here?" Harry just entered the room and noticed all the commotion. "What happened?"

"GET HIM AWAY! HE IS A DEATH EATER! MAKE HIM LEAVE!"

"_Stupefy." _Hermione fell back against the back of the bed when the Healer hit her with a stunner. Another Healer caught her just in time before she hit her head on the head board. He eased her down gently.

"Sir, please. You are going to have to leave. Obviously the sight of you sent her into a panic attack. We can't reenervate her with you in here. It's important we wake her up so she can eat."

"Sure." Draco sent a defeated look toward Harry.

Harry could see the desperate look in his eyes. "Go to the tea room. I'll come up to give you news in a bit. I'll try to talk to her."

"Thanks." Draco left to go to the tea room, but got off on the fourth floor instead. He found himself walking toward Dean's room.

The Healers _rennervated _Hermione and Harry approached her slowly. "Hermione. It's me Harry. You gave us a bit of a scare."

"Harry?"

"Yeah," he took her hand and patted the back of it.

Then she broke into tears. "Harry, I'm so sorry." It was just like Hermione to apologize for getting sick. "I looked so hard but I couldn't find it. I won't give up though. I promised him. I promised him I would find a counter curse." So she wasn't sorry about letting herself go at all. She was sorry about failing at her task of finding a cure for Dean.

"Hermione, stop. Dean will be ok for the time being. We almost lost_ you_. You can't skip meals. You have to eat. You really scared us. We love you Hermione. Despite what you think. Me, Ginny, Ron," she gave a snort at this," he does. He may not be in love with you, but he can't forget years of friendship. I wish you would talk to him. I wish you would talk to me."

Hermione's eyes filled with tears again. "Harry, I thought you didn't care for me anymore. I have been nothing but a failure. I have failed at everything I have done for the last five years. I failed at my relationship with Ron. . ."

"Hermione that's not being fair. What Ron did was wrong. You didn't deserve that."

"I failed at finding a cure for Dean. . ."

"You aren't the only one who has been searching for a cure. There is a whole team working on his case. Nobody has gotten any closer."

"I have been a terrible friend." At this Harry looked down, his face covered with guilt.

"I could have tried harder Hermione. I could have let you know that I was still there for you despite my being married to Ron's sister. I couldn't stop being Ron's friend, but I shouldn't have stopped being yours either. A part of me has been missing since you walked away from us. We let you down Hermione."

Neither one of them said anything else for a very long while. Eventually a Healer came in with a tray of food for Hermione. Harry had to coax her to eat. She mainly pushed her food around on her plate until she got tired of Harry bugging her.

When she had finally eaten enough to satisfy Harry, he brought up the subject of Dean.

"Hermione. About Dean…" She quickly lowered her head in guilt, "you have to stop putting all the responsibility for his recovery on yourself. It is not your fault he is in the condition he is in. The fault lies with the Death Eaters. The same Death Eaters who killed Fred, and Tonks, and Lupin. If any one has the right to the blame it's me."

"Harry, no . . ."

"The point is I could destroy myself with blame for everyone I lost. My parents, Sirius, Dumbledore, and so many more. But it was Voldemort who caused it all. Not me, not you."

"Yeah, but what is the point of being 'the smartest witch of my age' if I can't find answers."

"You may be the smartest, Hermione, but you don't have to know everything. Besides, I know someone who can help unlock the code you have been working on. Someone who can cure Dean and so many more in the Frank and Alice Longbottom Ward."

"What do you mean, Harry?"

"You have to promise to give him a chance. I've talked to him and I believe what he says. And I think he really cares about you. In fact he stayed by your bed all night."

Hermione remembered briefly waking up to Max, no Malfoy. But she thought it must have been a dream. Because she shouted for him to get out, and the next thing she knew was she was waking up to Harry.

"You can't mean Draco Malfoy, Harry. No. The git who loathed all of us in school? Who almost killed Katie Bell, and Ron, and plotted to kill Dumbledore? Who called me a Mudblood at every chance he got?"

"Who has lived as a Muggle for five years. Who is giving up his life of quiet and calm to help someone he hardly knows. Despite that the person he loves doesn't love him back."

"What are you on about, Harry?"

"He hasn't said it. But I can tell. I knew from the first time I saw him here with you. When he stopped you from cursing Lavender. It takes a special person to calm you down, Hermione. Not even Ron or I could stop you when you really got in a state. Remember third year. I'm sure Malfoy hasn't forgotten." Harry smirked and Hermione blushed at that. It wasn't exactly her best moment.

"I saw how worried he was when you were brought in. He refused to leave your side. He could have walked away when you disapparated out of his apartment that day. But he didn't. He went against his pride and asked me for help. Give him a chance, Hermione. If not for his sake, or your sake, do it for Dean. At least Dean deserves the chance."

"That's a low blow, Harry. You know I can't say no, if it will help Dean."

"I know."

"Ok. Tell him I will talk to him." Harry just gave her a small smile, reached out, and squeezed her hand.

"I'll go get him."

"…and then Moody turned me into a ferret. I still have nightmares about it. I never did live that down." Dean and Draco were both laughing hard when Harry walked into the permanent ward.

"Oi, Potter. Dean, this is Harry Potter. You guys were old room mates. I was just telling Dean some Hogwarts stories."

"Hi, Dean. How are you today?"

"Fine, I guess. This is weird though. Were you two great friends at school?"

"Not exactly. We were actually sort of enemies."

"You guys aren't going to start throwing curses are you?"

"No, I haven't cursed anyone in at least five years," Draco answered with a grin to Harry.

"Hermione's awake," Harry said.

Draco's smile faded when he remembered why he was at the hospital, and what had transpired the hour before. "How is she?"

"She's ready to talk to you."

"Dean, I will come by later to talk to you some more. Talk to Harry now. I am sure he has tons more stories about me he can tell. And even more interesting ones about himself." Harry blushed at the last part. After a lifetime of fame, he still didn't feel he did any thing special. Anyone would have done the same thing in his place.

"So Dean, how was breakfast this morning?" Draco heard Harry ask as he walked out of the ward. His stomach turned itself in knots as he walked back down the stairs. He wasn't sure what to expect when he reached Hermione's room. Would she start yelling again, or tell him to get lost? He wished he had the courage of a Gryffindor as he went to face her again.

When he approached her room he heard the Healers inside talking to her. He used this as an excuse to stall a little longer trying to think of what he would say when he went inside.

"You have to drink all your potion, Ms. Granger, and please finish your lunch. It is important you regain your strength. We almost lost you, you know?" Draco's heart clenched at the words. He would have never forgiven himself if she would have died. He was the reason she was like she was.

"Fine, but can't I finish without you hovering over me. You have my wand so I can't banish my food, and throwing it out the window isn't an option as you have charmed it shut. I guess you thought I would try to jump or something?" Draco felt it was probably a good time to step in.

"I'll stay with her." Draco said to the Healers.

"I don't need a babysitter." Hermione retorted.

"Of course not, but now the Healers can leave you alone, and Potter said you wanted to talk to me anyway."

"Fine."

"If you need anything Ms. Granger just call."

"Thanks."

When the Healers left the room, an uneasy silence settled. Neither knew how to start. Draco sat in a chair, and Hermione pushed her food around her plate some more.

"I'm sorry," they both said at the same time.

"I'm sorry I just disappeared without giving you a chance to explain. Even though what you did was terrible and I am still not sure that this isn't some great cruel joke of yours to get back at the _Mudblood_ once and for all. "

"It's not a joke. And I'm sorry for lying to you. I never knew it would go as far as it did. I never thought you would give me a second glance if you knew who I really was. The truth is, I am more Max Black now than I am Draco Malfoy. I have worked so hard to bury that part of myself. I'm terrified coming back into this world. I'm terrified of holding a wand again. I'm terrified of turning back into that person I used to be; the person that I despise. But if I just sat back and did nothing when I knew I had the power to help, I would be as bad as my father or Voldemort or any of the Death Eaters who cast the curses in the first place. Let me help Dean and I promise to disappear from your life again. I can go farther away from here and you will never see or hear from me again. But let me do this first."

Hermione did not know how to respond. She still found it strange to look at this man, who claimed to be Draco Malfoy, but looked and acted nothing like him.

"Tell me how you can help."

He explained to her about the book, and about how his father had placed a charm on it that only Malfoy blood could unlock. He explained to her that he would need his wand, but it was locked away. And then he explained how he needed her help to unlock his wand and that only she could unlock it for him.

"So what would have happed if I would have died? Would the spell on the chest have been broken?"

"No. It would have become permanent. I really had no intentions of ever coming back into the Wizarding world. But I knew that the decision would be hard to stick to, so that was when I thought of that particular charm, and I thought of you as the keeper. I figured there would never be a situation where you would help me, so I thought I was safe. I never counted on you walking into a Muggle café, a café that I worked at, or having in your possession a book that I had seen many years ago. I never counted on falling in love with you." He looked at her with great sincerity.

"Ok. I'll help you. I want to do this as soon as possible. I will talk to the Healers to see when they will release me. But then, when it is over, I never want to see you again. If this is a joke, if Dean is hurt more, I will kill you."

"It's not a joke." She nodded in a way that told him that he should leave.

"I'll send you an owl when it's time," she said to his back as he walked toward the door. He just nodded that he understood.


	11. Chapter 11: Unlocking Magic

Chapter 11

Unlocking Magic

It was two weeks before Draco received an owl saying she would be there that evening sometime after dark. The owl arrived in the morning, so Draco had the day to decide how to get Jack out of the house for the evening.

Draco's stomach turned as he got ready for work. He was nervous about how Hermione would react when she saw him again. Even the peppermint-lemon tea didn't seem to help calm him much. He decided to go to work early as he seemed to think better when he was busy.

By lunch Draco had decided he would invite Jack to a football game and then beg off sick. Over his lunch break he ran to the ticket office and then to the pharmacy. When he returned, Jack was wiping down the counter. There was no one else in the shop. It would be a couple of hours before the after work crowd would start to arrive.

"Hey, I got tickets to tonight's game. You want to go? They're good tickets." Draco knew that Jack couldn't turn down tickets to a football game.

"That sounds like fun. Maybe we can stop by the pub before we go. There is a new waitress there I want to talk to."

Draco let out a sigh of relief. So far his plan was working. Now he just had to play sick and get Jack to go without him.

Draco and Jack spent the rest of the afternoon talking excitedly about the game. No one would know that Draco had no intentions of actually going.

An hour before their shift ended, Draco snuck into the back. He took out the bag from the pharmacy and pulled out a bottle of medication. Apparently Muggles had medication that induced vomiting. They would take it as a sort of antidote for poisoning. Instead of counteracting the poison, it would just make them vomit it up before it had a chance to kill them. However there was no antidote to stop the vomiting so once he took it, it would have to run its course.

It didn't take long for the medicine to take effect. He no sooner made it out of the back, when he had to rush to the bathroom. What he wouldn't have given for one of the Weasley's Puking Pastilles. At least then he would have had an antidote. He thought maybe it would be better to be poisoned than to have to take this stuff.

He finally made it back out to the front when Jack asked, "Man, are you feeling ok? You look a little green." Draco answered him by running back into the bathroom. When he thought he could chance it he made his way back to the front again.

"I'm sorry Jack. I think I must have eaten something bad. I just need to go home and rest. You go on to the game."

"Are you sure? They're your tickets. Maybe you should see a doctor."

"No, I'll be ok. No need letting them go to waste. Maybe you could take the pub waitress."

"Alright, but call me if you need me."

There were more benefits to playing sick than just getting Jack out of the house. Not that he was playing. He felt like shit. But leaving work early gave him time to prepare things for the evening. Between trips to the bathroom, he was able to straighten his apartment and set things up for the spell.

He decided to set things up in his bedroom in case Jack decided to come home early. He hoped Hermione wouldn't feel too uncomfortable being in there with him. He knew he sure would as he could think of better things he would rather do with her in his bedroom than unlock a chest.

He pulled the locked box out from under his bed. It was quite unremarkable in itself. Anyone who came across it would probably find little interest in it. Locked inside it were his wand and a quill of Hermione's. In second year Crabbe had bet him he couldn't nick her favorite quill. She always had it with her. He overheard her tell her friends that she had charmed it so that her hand wouldn't tire when she wrote long essays.

Confident that everything was in place, he went into the kitchen for some tea. He hoped the peppermint and lemon would settle his stomach. He wasn't sure if his stomach was queasy from the medication or nerves. The tea seemed to help, so it must have been nerves.

Draco heard a knock on the door. Punctuality being a strong point of Hermione's, she arrived ten minutes after sundown. Taking a deep breath, he steeled his nerves and walked to the door. If only he were a Gryffindor.

When he opened the door he allowed himself to take in her appearance. She looked much better than the last time he saw her. She wasn't as pale, and it looked like she had gained a little weight. However, her eyes still looked tired and sad.

"I'm here to help Dean. Not to have you ogle me. May I please come in?"

"Sorry, of course." He held the door open for her. "Would you like something to eat? Or some tea?"

" No. Let's just get this over with."

"Sure. I have everything ready in the bedroom." Hermione raised her eyebrows at him. "Just in case Jack comes home early, it wouldn't do to have him walk in during the spell."

She just nodded and turned toward the bedroom.

"So, how is this going to work?" She asked when they both entered the room and closed the door.

"Well, it requires that you allow me to use you as a vessel for my magic." He watched her carefully half expecting her to disappear again. He was asking a lot of her. When a wizard allows himself to be used as a vessel for another's magic, he puts himself in a vulnerable position. He loses all control of his own magic. Hermione would be giving control over to him.

She just nodded. Without the Thomas Case to work on, she spent her spare time in the hospital researching spells used to lock away objects. She had Harry bring her books from the Ministry Library.

Harry came to visit her everyday in the hospital. She was glad to have her friend back. Harry did most of the talking going on and on about Ginny's pregnancy. She didn't have much to say herself, so Hermione was content just to listen. Ron tried to visit once, but she threw a water pitcher at his head. She wasn't ready to talk to him yet.

In between visits with Harry, she would search through the books hoping to come across possible spells Draco could have used to lock his wand away. She had narrowed down her search to a spell that worked similarly to the Fidelius Charm. Instead of a secret being kept inside a person, an object is used. The person to whom the object belongs is then required for the spell to be broken. A person could be chosen as keeper without knowing they are being chosen.

Another interesting thing about this spell is that the words to the spell are chosen by the caster and are not as important as the intent behind them. She supposed he used something to do with Mudbloods as he had chosen her as keeper.

"Are you ready then?" she asked.

"Yes."

Hermione stood in front of the chest and drew her wand. She flinched when Draco reached around her and took her hand. He intertwined his fingers with hers so that he too was holding the wand.

Draco tried not to stand too close. If he did, she would feel the effect she was having on him, and he figured she would not appreciate it.

She jerked her other hand away when she felt him try to take it.

"It takes both our hands on the wand to do the spell."

"Sorry," she replied and allowed him to guide her hand to the wand.

Her senses felt overwhelmed as she breathed in his scent of peppermint and lemon. She felt his warmth pressed against her back, and his breath on her neck sent a shiver down her spine. She thought that the nervousness she felt had nothing to do with the spell they were about to perform.

"Are you ready?" he whispered into her ear.

She gave a slight nod.

"Relax. You have to relax. You are blocking my magic. Let me in."

At the sound of his words she closed her eyes and her body sank back into his. She felt as if he were holding her up and that if he let go she would surely fall.

She didn't know how long they stood there like that. Time seemed to have stopped. She began to feel her skin tingle were he touched her. His magic felt foreign and familiar all at the same time.

She felt feelings that were not her own. Her emotions always seemed heighten when she used magic. She remembered feeling empowerment when she accomplished a new spell, or guilt and sadness when she modified her parents' memories, or great anger and hatred when she battled the Death Eaters. But she had never thought about what someone else's magic might feel like.

Right then she felt Draco's emotions so deeply that they overtook her own. First she felt excitement much like she felt when she learned she was a witch. Then she felt immense guilt that made her stomach turn, and then sadness. It was the sadness she felt when she lost someone close to her, like Dumbledore, or Fred, or Tonks and Lupin. She wondered what was making him so sad.

Then she felt rather than heard him speak the words, "_Liberi la magia_."

_Release the magic_.

It felt as if a bolt of electricity shot through her and she found she could no longer hold on to her wand. They broke apart and both stood breathing hard. Tears streamed freely down her cheeks and she look over to him.

There was a long pause of silence as they just stared and looked at each other.

Finally Hermione spoke. "I felt your emotions; excitement and guilt. I understood those. But why are you so sad?"

"These last five years I have been happier than I have ever been. I've had friends. Real friends. I've made people happy, if only for giving them a cup of coffee and the decisions I have had to make have been so easy. Well until recently. Not like having to accept a task from Voldemort. I can't go back to that now. But that's not why I am sad. Those five years could never compare to the two weeks you knew me as Max. To have you love me, and look at me without hate in your eyes. After Dean is cured I lose you forever. My heart breaks at the thought of never holding you and kissing you again." At this tears began to fall down his face too.

It got to be too much, and Hermione looked away. Her eyes landed on the chest that lay open on the table. Inside laid a wand and a quill.

"My quill," she said as she walked over and picked it up. "I thought I lost it."

Draco had the sense to look guilty.

Hermione looked back into the box. "Your wand."

Draco walked up to the chest and looked inside. There lay his wand just as he had left it. He tentatively reached out and took it. The magic flowed through him and into the wand. It was as if a part of him had been returned. He transfigured the chest into a vase of flowers much like the one Hermione had shattered that day she found out who he was.

"Draco. You say you are different. That you have changed. If you really have changed, it doesn't matter what you look like."

His heart sank. Did she know what she was asking of him? For the last five years, when he looked into the mirror he saw Max Black. He had even convinced himself that that was who he was now. But what would happen if he removed the glamours? Who would he be? Would he turn back into the person he was before? It was just a glamour. It only changed his looks. Not who he was, right? He owed her this. She trusted him enough to help him get his wand.

He whispered the spell and the glamours fell away. His hair lightened to the traditional Malfoy color and grew to the length it must have been when he first applied the spell. His skin became paler and his features sharpened. His build remained the same. He was as beautiful as he had always been.

He slowly allowed himself to look up at her. He was afraid he would see a look of repulsion on her face. Would it be too much for her to see him like this?

She looked up into his eyes expecting to see the cold hatred she had always associated with Draco Malfoy. They were the familiar gray, but instead of hate, they were only filled with sadness, and _love_?

She took in the rest of his body, noticing how he was still the same but different at the same time. When her gaze reached his left forearm it stopped. An ugly scar stood out in great relief against the pale skin of his arm. The scar was not like those caused by magic. It was jagged and uneven as if someone had taken a knife and carved his skin away.

"Why not just use a glamour?"

He subconsciously rubbed the scar on his arm. "It used to burn so hot when he called. I always dreaded what he had in store for us when we would reach our destination. It almost always meant something terrible. Even after he was gone I would still feel it. He made sure no magic would be able to remove it. He wanted us to never forget. Do you mind?" He gestured to the scar.

"No."

He waved his wand over his arm and the scar disappeared leaving smooth skin in its place.

"Do you mind if we take a break and have some tea before working on the book? It has been awhile since I have done magic and I don't think I can handle another complicated spell quite yet."

"No, but can I use your bathroom?"

"Go ahead. I'll just put on the tea."

As Hermione washed her hands, she looked up into the mirror. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying. She was so confused. She didn't know what to think. She expected to see Draco the same as she did in school when he removed the glamours, but he did seem different. The cold and bitterness was gone from his eyes. She saw the same love and kindness she had seen in Max's eyes that day in the park. She took a deep breath and opened the bathroom door. They still had a long night ahead of them.


	12. Chapter 12: Revealing Secrets

Chapter 12

Revealing Secrets

When Hermione entered the kitchen, her breath caught. She wasn't used to being in the same room with Draco Malfoy. It seemed strange that they could be in one another's company without throwing curses or insults at one another. While she was in the bathroom he had shortened his hair.

Seeing the questioning look on her face he explained, "It's easier to manage short . . . and it reminded me of my father. I'll get it cut properly this weekend."

"I like it," she said and sat down at the table. He handed her a cup of tea and took the seat across from her.

"Let me guess. Peppermint and Lemon?"

He blushed and answered, "It helps to settle my nerves. I can get you something else if you like."

"No, it's fine. But tell me, how did you get my quill? I really thought I had lost it. I remember tearing the Gryffindor Common Room apart looking for it."

Draco smiled guiltily and took another sip of tea before answering, "Crabbe bet me I couldn't nick it. I followed you everywhere for two weeks looking for a chance to take it. You seemed to always have it in your hand. The only times I didn't see you with it were during meals. I couldn't very well take it in front of the whole Great Hall. It also didn't help that you were always with Potter and Weasley. I even saw them follow you into Moaning Myrtle's bathroom once. I figured you were trying to befriend the pitiful ghost.

Finally, I caught you alone in the library. I figured Weasley had gone to Quidditch practice with Potter, or maybe they had a detention with Snape. Either way it gave me my chance. I waited until you got up from your table for another book and then grabbed it. Crabbe had to do my homework for a week. Of course I had to redo it after receiving failing marks on all of it."

"Why did you keep it?"

"I was always told that Mud . . . Muggleborns were inferior; that they didn't deserve the chance to learn magic. I was taught that Purebloods were better at everything. But then there you were the smartest witch to come through Hogwarts in ages. The spell you preformed on the quill was at least O.W.L. level and we were second years. You went against everything I had ever been taught and believed in."

"You let Crabbe do your homework?" And they both broke out in laughter.

"Yeah, well, the owl I got from my father lecturing me on making sure that if I got others to do my work for me, to at least choose someone competent. . ." The mention of his father seemed darken the light mood that had filled the kitchen moments before.

Breaking the awkward silence, Draco asked, "Would you like some more tea?"

"No, thank you. Maybe we should get started on the book. Do you think you are ready now?"

"Yes. If you'll go get the book, I'll set things up in the bedroom." They both put their cups in the sink, and set out about their tasks.

Draco took the old chest off the table and put it back under the bed. He was performing a Silencio charm on the room as Hermione entered with her bag.

"You didn't have me use Silencio before."

"Listen Hermione; you have to promise me you won't stop me once I've started the spell. It won't be easy. Voldemort made sure of it. He always took a sick pleasure in the pain of others, especially his followers. That they would follow him despite the pain he caused them gave him a great sense of empowerment. It won't kill me. He wouldn't have wanted me dead. Not until he had a chance to question me and perhaps torture me some more. My father always thought it an honor to be entrusted with the secret, but I knew from the time I first saw the book it was a punishment for the failures of our family."

She nodded her head that she understood.

"Say it."

"I promise."

"Put the book on the table. I won't be able to control my reaction to the spell once the enchantment has been spoken. You should be safe over there though."

She did what he said and retreated to the corner. The air in the room was thick with apprehension.

Draco positioned himself in front of the table. He drew his wand and removed the glamour from his arm. The scar stood out as if it were a wound that had only recently healed. He whispered, "_Sectumsempra,"_ and a gash appeared across the scar. Blood began to pour freely from his arm. He held his arm over the book and let the blood drip onto the cover. Hermione thought that a single drop would have probably been sufficient, but knew this was symbolic for him.

He began to enchant the spell in a language that Hermione was not familiar with. When the last word of the spell was spoken, the book began to glow red and Draco fell to floor as his body convulsed and he screamed out in pain. His screams reminded her of her own when she had been tortured by Bellatrix Lestrange.

"NO," he said between his screams when she started to move from her corner to go to him. She stepped back feeling helpless. She wanted to help him.

Finally the convulsions stopped and his body went limp. She ran to him and picked his head up and sat it in her lap. His breaths were shallow and his color paler than usual. She felt something warm soak through her jeans. When she looked down she saw that they were both soaked in his blood. It wasn't the spell that was killing him. It was the blood loss. She grabbed her wand and pointed it toward her bag.

"Accio Dittany. Accio Blood-Replenishing Potion." She always kept a first-aide kit, another habit from the war.

Two small bottles flew into her hand. She poured the Dittany over Draco's arm and the wound closed. She then tipped Blood-Replenishing Potion into his mouth.

"Please don't die," she whispered over and over as she hugged him to her tightly.

"Hermione, I can't breathe," he gasped after a long moment.

She loosened her grip on him and pulled back so she could see him.

"You're ok. I thought I lost you."

Color started returning to his face as he attempted to sit up. He was slowly regaining his strength as the potion continued to work.

"Nope. Sorry. I'm still here. Did it work?" It took her a second to figure out what he was talking about. Then she remembered the book.

They both got up and walked over to the table. Her heart sank when she saw that the book looked the same as before.

"Open it," he said.

She slowly opened the worn cover of the book. Tears started falling when she saw the beautifully scripted words that filled the pages instead of the black typed letters of the medical text. At the bottom of each page, scrawled in red, was a counter curse.

"This is it. But what if Dean's curse isn't here?" Draco did not want to think about the possibility that the cure wasn't there. He could not bear the thought that all this had been in vain. But it wasn't in vain, was it? Even if it didn't help Dean there were loads more people in St. Mungos that could be saved.

"It's there," he said trying to convince himself as much as Hermione.

The phone rang and they both jumped at the sudden sound.

"Why don't you go into the living room and start searching through the book, and I'll answer the phone? It's probably Jack. I'll be there in a minute."

She took the book into the living room and Draco went into the kitchen to answer the phone.

After getting off the phone, he decided to make some tea. When he walked into the living room with the tray of tea he was surprised to see Hermione in tears again. He hated himself for all the tears he caused her.

"Are you ok? I brought some tea."

"These spells are so terrible. This curse here makes a parent want to harm his child. And this one causes a person to say insults in the place of endearments. There is also one that makes a person paranoid of anyone who shows him kindness. Who could do this to a person?"

"I am so sorry, Hermione."

"Oh, no. I didn't mean . . . you never used any of these curses."

"No, but I didn't do anything to stop them."

She studied him for a second and then asked, "So, who was on the phone? Is Jack on his way home?"

"No, he ended up taking this waitress from the pub to the game. She invited him to stay over at her house, so he won't be back until tomorrow."

"He sure does see a lot of women."

"He's a great guy, but quite insecure. He seems to grab hold of any woman who will show him interest. Someday the right one will come along. When he falls in love, he will fall hard and she will want for nothing."

"He has been a good friend to you, hasn't he?"

"Yeah. He's been my only true friend."

Hermione turned back to the book and they sipped their tea in silence as she read through each page. When she would come across a particularly nasty curse she would gasp. He would just look down at his hands as guilt coursed through him.

Finally, she looked up at him again with misty eyes and a hopeful smile. "I found it."

He moved closer to her so that he could read the page with her. She ran her fingers over the counter curse written at the bottom of the page.

"This is it. Isn't it?"

"Yeah, looks like it."

"I've got to work this curse out as soon as possible. Dean shouldn't have to wake up with his condition one more day."

"Hermione, these spells are complicated. The counter curses are even more so. You can't rush into it, as making a mistake could cause more damage than the original curse."

"I know. But I've been working so hard for five years. I would trade places with him if I could."

"Yes, but no one but you would have been able to find the counter curse."

"I didn't do anything. It was you who broke the wards."

"But I would have never known about Dean's condition, or the book, if it hadn't been for you. No one else would have caught my interest that day in the café."

"I guess it was both of us then," she answered with a smile.

"Stay here tonight," he said before he could stop himself, and then seeing the panicked look on her face he went on, "I'll sleep on the couch again. You can have my bed, and I could help you work out the curse. It's difficult and you could work it out faster if you had help. Then we could apparate to the hospital together tomorrow. I want to be there, if you don't mind."

She didn't answer right away and he began to regret that he asked.

"Of course I want you there. You deserve to be there as much as anyone. I would like to go home first and get some pajamas that fit and some clean clothes for tomorrow. I also need to owl Harry and let him know we found it."

"Ok." She could see the doubt in his eyes. He thought once she left she wouldn't come back.

With a pop she was gone. But the book lay open on the couch where she had been sitting. She would be back.


	13. Chapter 13: Remembering

Chapter 13

Remembering

Hermione arrived at her empty apartment, and the familiar sense of loneliness settled in her chest. She had gotten used to living alone, even after spending a year living with Harry and Ron, and then later with just Ron. It didn't bother her much except when she would first get home, she missed Crookshanks greeting her. He had died a year after she'd left Ron. Although she enjoyed not having to clean up or worry over anyone else but herself, there was something about coming home to an empty house with no one there waiting for you that left something wanting.

She went to her bedroom and threw some pajamas and a clean pair of clothes into a bag after applying an anti-wrinkle charm to them. She then went into the kitchen and sat down at the table with a quill and parchment.

She scribbled a note to Harry:

Harry,

We've done it. Meet us at St. Mungos at 9:00am. Tell the others.

-Hermione

She sealed the note, grabbed her bag and set out for the apartment owlery. There was a time that she would have been able to leave the note on the windowsill, and Harry's old owl would have come for it. But his new owl wasn't as intuitive as Hedwig had been.

She attached the note to the leg of a large barn owl.

"Deliver this to Harry Potter," she told it even though it was written on the front of the envelope.

Then she apparated back to Draco's apartment. She found him sitting at the table in the kitchen with a large pizza in front of him.

"I was starving so I ordered a pizza. I hope you like mushrooms."

"I love mushrooms." She sat down across from him and took a piece of pizza from the box. "I sent a note to Harry telling him to meet us at the hospital in the morning."

They ate the pizza only leaving a couple of pieces in the box, after staring at the lone pieces she realized she had been hungrier than she thought.

Hermione went and changed into her pajamas while Draco cleaned the kitchen, it didn't take him very long now that he had his wand back. Cleaning spells were one of the things he missed most when he was without his wand.

He was already seated on the couch when Hermione came out of the bedroom in her flannel pajamas. He was surprised when she sat next to him on the couch and opened the book. But he figured if they were going to work on the spell together they would both need to be able to see the book comfortably.

"These spells are very complicated. What language is this? I don't think I have seen it before."

"The language is from a remote Muggle African tribe. Voldemort would practice the curses in the book on them until he was satisfied with the results. Once the spells were perfected he wiped out the whole tribe, so that the language could not be passed on. He killed the women and children first making the men watch and then finished off the men. Bastard."

"How did you learn the language then?" Hermione asked, eyes wide.

"Summer before sixth year, my father brought in a tutor. He was the last of the tribe, kept around to teach the Death Eaters the language. We studied every night. He made me practice the words over and over until I became fluent. I liked the tutor, though I never let on, he would tell me wonderful stories of warriors and battles. I would daydream that I was one of those brave warriors who fought in great battles against terrible armies. Two weeks before term began my father informed me I would join Voldemort's ranks as a Death Eater. I was to be inducted that evening. As part of the ceremony the tutor was murdered in front of me. I was only grateful that I wasn't expected to do it myself. I was then informed of my task to kill Dumbledore. I put on a great front of indifference toward the tutor and the honor of my task. It turned out I would be fighting in great battles, but not as a brave warrior; only a part of the terrible army. As soon as I was able I retired to my room where I emptied my stomach of the dinner we had eaten that night and then drank a whole bottle of firewhiskey until I passed out. The firewhiskey helped dull the pain of the Mark, but that was when the nightmares started. No amount of liquor has ever, ever, been able to stop the nightmares. I felt trapped. My family would be murdered if I failed. I was supposed to feel honored with becoming a Death Eater at such a young age. I didn't feel honored. I just felt sick."

"It must have been so hard for you. I never thought about what you must have gone through, just that you went through it"

"Well I didn't exactly try to stop it, did I?"

She gave him a sad look and then turned her attention back to the book.

"Will you teach me?" She asked.

They began work on the spell. Draco was very patient with Hermione as they practiced. It became apparent very quickly that Hermione would have never figured out the spell on her own. Again, only Draco would have been able to help her.

They worked for hours on the pronunciation of the words and precision of the wand movements until she was sure that she could do it perfectly. Any mistake and the curse could become permanent.

"Hermione, I think you have it . . . Hermione?" She had become still and her breathing had slowed. Draco shook her gently to wake her up so she could move to his bed. "Hermione?" She shifted until she was leaning against his chest. She felt so right there in his arms. He gently put his arm around her and allowed himself to drift off to sleep.

When Hermione awoke the next morning, sun was streaming through the window. She went to sit up and a sharp pain shot through her neck. She groaned and settled back down.

The warm body beneath her moved slightly and she tried again to sit up.

"Good morning," Draco said as he stretched his arms out. "How did you sleep? I bet you are a bit sore. You didn't move all night. I tried to wake you up so you could go to the bed but. . ."

"Actually, I slept better than I've slept in a very long time." It was the first night she could remember that she didn't have the nightmares. There was something about sleeping in his arms that made her feel safe. "What time is it?"

"8:00," Draco said lazily through a yawn.

"What! We have to be at the hospital in an hour!"

"Relax. We have plenty of time. You go take a shower, and I'll make us some breakfast. Are eggs ok?"

"Eggs sound great. I won't be long." She jumped up and went into his bedroom to get her bag.

Twenty minutes later she came into the kitchen where Draco was sitting at the table with a cup of tea and a plate of eggs.

"Would you like tea or coffee?"

"Coffee would be good, thank you."

Draco finished his breakfast and went to take a shower. Hermione began to get impatient when thirty minutes later he still wasn't out of the bathroom. He finally emerged and she saw what had taken so long. He had reapplied the glamours.

"I am not ready to face the Wizarding world as Draco Malfoy yet."

She nodded and said," Well, are you ready then?"

He took her hand and they apparated to St. Mungos. When they arrived they went straight to the fourth floor. Standing outside the door to Dean's ward were Ginny, Harry, Ron, Lavender, George, Neville, Luna, and Seamus.

"Is someone going to tell us what the bloody hell is going on?" Ron asked when he spotted Hermione and Draco come out of the lift.

Hermione shot a look at Harry.

"I thought you should be the one to tell them."

Hermione looked nervous at the thought of telling them the news. She was still afraid something could go wrong. What if she forgot a word or held her wand at the wrong angle.

Draco took a step toward her and she seemed to draw strength from his presence.

"I've . . . we've found a cure for Dean."

Everyone let out a cheer.

"That's great Hermione!" George said, and turning to Draco, he looked perplexed and asked "I'm sorry, but who are you?"

"This is Max Black," Hermione said introducing him to the group.

Healer Martin opened the door to the ward.

"What is all this noise . . . oh, Hermione. Harry told us the good news! We have explained everything to Dean. The other Healers set up a picnic for the rest of the ward so that you can have the common room to yourself. Dean is already in there if you would like to go on in."

"Thanks."

The group of friends all entered into the common room. Dean was sitting on the couch reading a book. Hermione walked up to him as the others seemed to stay back.

"Dean. I'm Hermione." She said, as she sat down next to him on the couch.

"You're going to help me remember!" He said, looking up from his book.

"I hope so. Dean, these are all your friends. Do you mind if they stay while we do this? They all want to see you get better." Dean looked nervously at the rest of the group, but then shook his head that he didn't mind that they stay.

"Ok. I need you to sit here and close your eyes while I perform the spell. It may be a bit uncomfortable as the memories will all seem to rush back at once. It may seem overwhelming for a bit as both the good and bad memories find their place back in your mind. Do you have any questions before we begin?"

Dean shook his head and then closed his eyes. Hermione took one last look around the room at all the faces that were full of anticipation. She felt sick and nervous. What if she messed up? Would any of them forgiver her?

She drew her wand and closed her eyes. She tried to steady her hand, but it wouldn't stop shaking. She was about to announce she couldn't do it when she felt a warm presence behind her. The scent of peppermint and lemon seemed to calm her nerves. She felt a hand rest on top of hers as he intertwined his fingers with hers on the wand. She felt him take her other hand, again intertwining their fingers. She seemed to gain strength from his touch.

He leaned down and whispered into her ear, "Together then?"

She nodded slightly giving her consent, thankful for his support. Together they began chanting the incantation.

Magic seemed to swirl around them and fill the room. Those watching were so entranced by the couple in front of them pouring out their souls for their friend. No sound could be heard except for the combined voices of Draco and Hermione.

When the spell ended, they opened their eyes to see Dean looking back at them.

"Hermione?" _Say something else. I told you my name before. Show me that you remember._

He looked around the room at the group of friends that looked on hopefully.

"What is this? A Gryffindor family reunion?"

The cheer was deafening. The friends all hugged and cried as they all took a chance to embrace their friend that had been gone for so long. No one cried harder than Hermione.

Draco stood back not wanting to impose on their celebration. He watched Hermione as she laughed and reminisced with the rest of the group. He liked seeing her happy, and he knew that when it was time for him to leave, he would do it if it meant she would be happy. But right now he allowed himself to get lost in the moment of happiness that played out in front of him.

When the noise level died down, Dean asked, "During the spell I felt magic from two people. I know that one of them was Hermione, but who was the other?"

The group stopped talking and they all turned to look at Draco. Hermione walked over and took his hand to lead him back to the group.

"Dean, this is . . . "

"No, Hermione. He should know." Draco whispered, his eyes frantic even through his resolve and took out his wand, removing the glamour.

There was a rather angry reaction amongst the group. Ron had reached for his wand, and Harry had put out a hand to stop him.

"Stop," Dean said.

The group stopped and glared at Draco.

"Listen, Dean. I am so sorry for the way I treated you . . . all of you, in school. I was git. I know that I can never make up for all the terrible things I did to you all…"

Dean held out his hand. Draco looked at him in disbelief as if maybe there was a mistake.

"Draco, this is all really confusing. But, I felt the sincerity of your magic. I could feel the intent behind it. You wanted to help. I forgive you."

Draco reached out and shook Dean's hand.

Hermione stepped forward and put a hand over the joined hands of Draco and Dean. "We all do," she said. The others, except Ron of course, all came forward to shake Draco's hand. He had never expected forgiveness. He didn't feel that what he did even came close to making up for all the terrible things he did to them in school. He thought maybe this was a mistake, or a joke.

The Healers insisted on doing a full exam before releasing Dean and after he was cleared the group went to the Leaky Cauldron to celebrate. Draco reapplied the glamours before leaving the hospital; he still didn't want to be recognized just yet. There would be a time where he would return to the Wizarding world as Draco Malfoy, but this was Dean's day and he didn't want to take any attention away from him.

The group ate a large lunch and drank plenty of drinks, It turned out that Seamus had recently broke up with his live-in girlfriend and had an extra room that he offered to Dean. It felt like things were finally working out the way they should have at the end of the war.

Hermione and Draco recounted a watered-down version of how they came across the counter curse while Harry kept shooting hopeful glances toward them. Ron just couldn't seem to let anything go, and was glaring at Draco constantly, much to Lavender' displeasure.

After a while Dean stood up to give a toast. "Thank you all for caring enough to stick by me even when I didn't know who you were. It is amazing to have friends as good as you, and to have the memories that we shared, both good and bad . . .I want to especially thank Hermione who put so much work into searching for a cure. I know that it would have been much easier to have given up. And I want to thank Draco Malfoy who has proven that it's not who you were or what you did in the past, but what's most important are the choices you make today, and what you choose to do for now on. Draco, you said you could never make up for what happened in school. Well, we've all made mistakes in our past, but as far as I'm concerned what you did today for me has more than made up for it. Thank you."

The group cheered while Draco smiled uncomfortably. Draco appreciated the sentiments, but he did not feel that he deserved the forgiveness they were offering. The things he did were just too terrible to be forgiven so easily.

After several hours the group decided they had had enough celebrating for the day, but made plans for dinner at the Potter's later in the week. When everyone had left, Hermione and Draco walked out into Muggle London. They stood outside the Leaky Cauldron, both not sure what to say.

"So, what now?" Hermione finally asked.

"Well, I guess I have to go back to the Manor at some point. Maybe I will sell it. I don't care to live there. It really is much too big for one person."

"I meant about us."

"Oh. . . Hermione, I promised I would walk away when this was all over, and I intend to keep that promise."

"When I said I forgave you, I meant it."

"Yeah, but I can't forgive myself."

"So, this is it?" Hermione's eyes swam with tears as she looked at him, wishing he'd change his mind.

"I guess so." Draco's half-hearted smile felt so out of place as he looked at the woman he would fight tooth and nail for.

Hermione held out her hand for him to shake. When he took it she said, "Goodbye, then," and apparated away with a pop leaving him standing there alone once again.


	14. Chapter 14: Second Chances

Chapter 14

Second Chances

Hermione decided it was finally time for her to take a holiday. She thought that perhaps a trip to Australia would give her time to figure out what she would do now that Dean was cured. Her parents had always talked so highly of Australia and she didn't have time to see much of it as the only times she had visited had been when she modified her parents' memories at the height of the war and then again when she went to retrieve them after the war.

She spent many hours contemplating her life and how it had changed over the years. She was nowhere near were she thought she would be at the age of 23. And she really wasn't sure where she wanted to be now that some things had been accomplished.

She knew that she wouldn't return to the Ministry. Her passion for her work in research came from a drive to cure Dean. Despite the fact that many of the patients could now be cured thanks to the discovery of the spell book, there were still many more who the book could not cure. But she figured the other researchers and Healers would be adequate for the job.

Maybe she would reinstate S.P.E.W although she would like to expand it to cover all Magical Beings. Werewolves still had a hard time finding work even after Minister Shacklebolt revoked the laws put into effect during Umbridge's day. The Centaurs deserved a great deal more respect than they are currently given. Perhaps more forest land could be set aside for them.

She spent much of her time reading. It had been so long since she had been able to sit down and just read for pleasure. She spent hours reading some of her old favorites. She even read the latest edition of _Hogwarts: A History_. It was surreal reading about the Battle of Hogwarts seeing Harry's, Ron's and her own name in print along with many others who fought so bravely during the war.

But there were moments during her time away where she found her thoughts drifting back to Draco Malfoy. It didn't help when Harry thought it his duty to keep her informed of all that was happening with the return of the Malfoy heir into the Wizarding world. Apparently they had even become friends. Much to her surprise it was even reported that Draco and Ron had reached a kind of tentative truce. They weren't exactly friends, but they were able to act civilly toward one another.

She had not had a nightmare since that night spent on the couch with Draco at his flat. But in their place were dreams of the handsome man who would come and sweep her off her feet. Many of the dreams left her blushing when she awoke the next morning.

In her musings over Draco Malfoy she often wondered what would have happened if she hadn't walked away that evening outside the Leaky Cauldron. Were either of them really ready for a relationship as unsure as theirs would have been?

She did know that she was the happiest she had ever been during the time she spent with him. The feelings she felt when she was with him were completely different from any she had ever felt before, feelings she never thought existed. She didn't think she would ever have the chance to feel them again with anyone else.

After Dean was cured, Draco decided it was time to return to the Wizarding world. After a rather bold article appeared in the Daily Prophet he found it hard to walk down the street with everyone pointing and whispering. To think he had actually been jealous of Potter and the attention he got at one time. He wished now that he was invisible.

He spent the next couple of months working with the Healers as they performed the counter curses on all the other patients. He found quickly that he couldn't just cure all the patients himself because of the great amount of energy required, which meant he had to teach the language to the other Healers.

He also met with a Wizarding real-estate agent in order to sell the Manor. Ironically the Ministry of Magic made the highest bid with plans to turn it into a Museum of the Dark Arts. He thought that was rather suitable.

After selling the Manor he decided to buy a much smaller house out in the country. He put up wards and made it unplottable so that reporters and other curious witches and wizards couldn't follow him home.

He explained to Jack, when he decided to move out, that he came into a large inheritance from a long lost relative. But with nothing else to do and no need for money he decided to keep his job at the coffee shop. So he would reapply the glamours and apparate to the alley beside the café each day for his shift.

The biggest change in his life since the day Dean was cured had to be the friendship he developed with Harry. He even invited Harry out for a night with the boys at the local sports bar, promising Ginny he wouldn't keep him out too late. He and Ron were even able to be in the same room now without being tempted to start a duel or even a verbal sparring match.

He even attended a couple of Sunday brunches at the Burrow. He found himself often cornered by Arthur Weasley with questions about Muggle appliances. It was one such Sunday that Mr. Weasley was drilling him about remote controls.

"So, it's like a magic wand then?" Mr. Weasley asked him with a confused look on his face.

"Not exactly. It doesn't use magic. The power comes from the batteries and it sends a signal to the television to change the channel, or turn the volume up and down . . ." They were interrupted by the call of Mrs. Weasley declaring it time to eat.

They all took their seats at the table and Draco thought how wonderful it must be to have such a loving family. They always made an effort to include him in their conversations, but he still felt a bit like an outsider.

He looked around the table at all the Weasleys and their spouses carrying on about their busy lives. Mrs. Weasley was recounting each of her birthing experiences to a very pregnant and worried looking Ginny. Ron and Harry were discussing the latest Quidditch match while George was telling Lavender about his latest line of joke cosmetics that turned the skin of unlucky victims every color of the rainbow. Percy was discussing new Ministry legislation with his father who nodded politely at the excitement of his son.

Despite being surrounded by all the chatter, he found himself feeling lonely. He thought that something was missing from the happy gathering. He knew who that something, or someone, was and try as he might, he thought a lot about Hermione. He thought about what would have happened if he hadn't let her walk away that night. She said that she forgave him, but did she really?

He had slowly started the process of forgiving himself. It started with a conversation with Harry. Harry recounted all the mistakes he made through school often leading his friends unnecessarily into harm, the worst being the fiasco of fifth year that led to the death of Harry's own godfather. It helped Draco see that no one was perfect. He could think of someone that was close to perfect though.

"Draco, what do you think," Harry said breaking into Draco's thoughts.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"The Quidditch game on Saturday. Do you want to go?"

"Oh, sure that sounds great," he replied glancing at his watch. "But I have to go. My shift starts in half an hour. Mrs. Weasley, thank you for the lovely brunch. It was delicious as always."

He walked to the apparition point and disappeared with a pop. He arrived at his house with just enough time to change into his work clothes and apply his glamours. He tried to spend as much time as possible away from home. It was hardest when he found himself alone. Thoughts of what might have been often snuck into his head. Everything reminded him of her. He would often come across a book that he thought she would like and would buy it to add to his library. He would watch the sunset and think that she would appreciate the beauty in it.

With the last of the glamours applied he turned and left for work. It was a slow afternoon at the café and Draco found himself in the back talking to the cook. They called him Cookie and he had been known to throw knives at anyone who attempted to interfere with his cooking, but he was hilarious to talk to. He was in the middle of telling Draco a joke about a blonde, a redhead, and a drag queen when Jack came in from the front.

"Hey Max, there is someone requesting you at the corner table," he said with a strange look on his face. It wasn't odd for him to get requests. It was probably some old lady who had taken a liking to him in a previous visit. But the look on Jack's face had him somewhat worried.

"Ok. Cookie, hold that joke. I want to hear the end of it. I'll be back in a bit."

He grabbed his notepad and went out the doors toward the corner table. Whoever it was, they were hidden behind a large book. His breath caught when a saw that peeking out from the edges of the book was a mane of brown hair.

_It couldn't be. _He commanded himself not to get his hopes up as he often saw her everywhere. He would see her pass in the street, but when he would take a second look it would be some other brown haired women. Or he would hear her laugh from across the room, but when he would strain his ears to hear her again the sound would be gone.

He walked up to her and willed himself to sound normal.

"Yes, can I help you?"

She lowered the book and smiled back at him. Everything else seemed to cease to exist. He took in her appearance. Her skin was a golden tan, and instead of tired dull eyes, they looked rested and bright. She had gained a little weight which just added to her beautiful curves replacing her old look of thin and weak. Harry had mentioned that she took a holiday to Australia. It had definitely done her good.

"Hi," he managed to say after a long moment of silence.

"Hi," she said back. "I had a craving for Italian food, but didn't want to go alone. I know of this excellent little restaurant called _Joe's_. Have you heard of it?"

He didn't answer, but swept her up into his arms. He didn't trust himself to speak so he just kissed her pouring all his feeling into it, trying to convey to her how much he had missed her and loved her.

A whistle from behind them seemed to break the moment and they pulled apart. Standing behind the counter was Jack and Cookie who were whistling and applauding.

"That's enough guys," he snarled, appeased when they turned and went back into kitchen.

He turned to her finally able to speak again.

"I didn't think you would come back," he said still holding her tight in his arms.

"I had a lot of time to think in Australia. I realized that my life was here with you. One of the greatest men I ever knew believed in second chances. Without them our mistakes would always lead us to a life of blame and unhappiness. You have earned your second chance. I just hope that you can give me mine."

"I love you Hermione Granger," he said and claimed her lips again. Perhaps everyone deserved a second chance.


End file.
